Crazy Little Thing Called Love
by rizzlebarry
Summary: Jane and Maura struggle with their confusing relationship amid lust, jealousy, and danger. A realistic take on what happens when a straight woman falls for another woman. Warning: M rating in the later chapters. *I apologize for my unbelievably long delay between updates.*
1. Chapter 1

Jane was out of breath. All she could hear was heavy breathing and a pounding in her ears. She closed her eyes and attempted to steady her breaths and quiet herself. She began to ring her hands as she normally does when she feels nervous, occasionally rubbing the scar tissue on the backs of them. In order to calm herself down, she thought of things that could distract her momentarily. She let her mind wander to her family. She thought of her mother who, while being the most annoying person Jane knew, still brought a smile to her face. Then she thought of her brothers. Tommy was just getting into a new job working as a receiving associate at a Boston warehouse. It was good for him; good money, and good labor to keep him busy. Jane shook her head and thought, _a busy Tommy equals a safer Tommy. _Her brother Frankie was working an overnight shift somewhere. She had stopped listening to him while he was telling her where… She racked her brain to try to recall why she wasn't listening to her brother.

They had been at Jane's apartment much early that day. Jo Friday had just jumped onto the counter and snatched a piece of toast from Frankie's plate.

"Jane! Your mutt is stealing my food!" Frankie yelled, and his expression went from anger to fury when he realized his sister was on the floor laughing while simultaneously patting Jo on his little shaggy head while the dog chopped on Frankie's breakfast.

Jane had laughed for a few minutes, mostly at the look on Frankie's face. When she began to control herself, she hoisted herself back onto her feet using the counter and came face to face with the very perplexed face of Dr. Maura Isles.

"Maura, Jesus!" Jane almost screamed. "What the hell, do you not knock anymore?"

Maura's response was an adorable half-smile. "I did", she said with a raise of her eyebrows.

"Oh."

"Should I even ask what is going on?"

"Uh… Don't worry about it, Frankie was just here making my morning interesting."

"Yeah", muttered Frankie as he gathered his things to leave. "Now I gotta see _Ma_ for breakfast at the _Café_." He glared at Jane, and then at Jo Friday on his way out.

"Bye Frankie… um… sorry!" Jane called after him.

Jane poured herself another cup of coffee and offered a cup to Maura. She shook her head.

"Jane." She appeared a little distracted

"What's up?" Jane asked in the middle of a sip.

"I came to pick you up. Something… weird is going on down at the station."

"Well, what is it?"

"I- I'm not… entirely sure. I just- I can't find anybody. Korsak, Frost, no one is upstairs. Is there something I'm missing?"

"Not that I know of…" Jane thought for a minute. "Um, no, we better head down there." She rushed into her room to get ready.


	2. Chapter 2

Jane realized that her breathing had slowed again, and she turned her head to focus on her surroundings. She was between two giant metal crates and she smelled nothing but fish and oil. Now that her ears had stopped pounding, she could hear the waves lightly crashing into the pier and the sole light in the area buzzing loudly as it flickered. She glanced at her watch waited with baited breath. She needed to get to a phone as soon as possible. She had been too afraid to leave her hiding place…

But suddenly she realized she wasn't alone there.

She whipped around as a shadow emerged behind her, raising her gun. Somehow, the figure reached her just in time to grab her gun and twist it out of her hand. He struck her across the face with the butt of the gun, instantly drawing blood and suddenly his other hand was at Jane's neck, pinning her to the cold hard surface of the crate.

Jane screamed and her hands shot up to the strong hand that was choking her, attempting to free herself. The last thing she saw before blacking out was the sickening smile that spread over the face of her attacker.

Detective Rizzoli blinked awake in complete darkness. She noticed that one of her eyes was almost sealed shut from inflammation. A dull pain covered her face and body and she realized that she had been beaten badly. Her wrists were tightly bound behind her back and there was tape across her mouth. Jane's mind gradually cleared and the more she came to, the more she began to panic.

_Why did I come here alone?_

A tear burned down her cheek and she felt completely hopeless for the first time in a very long time.

Although her brain was still very fuzzy, she tried to recall why she had made the poor decisions that had led her to this dire situation.


	3. Chapter 3

Maura had picked her up to bring her to the police headquarters. Maura had seemed worried so Jane, as always, used her humor to ease the doctor's fears on the ride there.

"Hey Maura!"

Maura jumped as she was being dragged away from her thoughts. "What?"

"What did the shrink say when a man wearing nothing but saran wrap walked into his office?" Jane asked with a smile.

Maura stared over at her friend and blinked, obviously confused.

"It's a _joke_, Maur!" Jane whined in that squeaky way, slapping her hands on her own thighs.

Understanding washed over Dr. Isles's face, "Oh I see." She gave it some thought. "I… I give up."

Jane, who was biting her lip waiting for a guess grinned and said, "Ready? Ready for this? He said," she paused to stifle her own laughter. "He said 'I can clearly see your nuts!'"

Maura laughed much louder than Jane had expected.

"Oh, Jane, you are such a hoot!" Maura breathed between giggles.

"A hoot_?!" _teased Jane. "I'm a _hoot_?!"

It was all Maura could do to nod and look lovingly over at her friend. She just smiled and nodded.

Jane looked at her too and also smiled, glad she was able to do what she does best: put a smile on that beautiful face.

They arrived at the station and got into the elevator. When they reached Jane's floor, they got out to discover that Maura had been right. There was no one there.

"What in the…" Jane looked around and then hurried to her desk. She found no indicators on where her partner was so she whipped out her phone and dialed Frost.

"No answer." Jane told Maura, furrowing her brow deeply.

Maura bit one side of her lip her hazel eyes wide with apprehension. Jane looked at her and softened her gaze.

"It's ok, I'm sure there's a completely good explaina-" She paused and narrowed her eyes at Maura, whose hand was frozen at the neckline of her dress. "-tion… Uh, Maura? Are you… itching?"

"No!" Maura defended.

Jane shot up from her chair, grabbed Maura's wrist and yanked it away from her chest shouting, "HIVES!"

Maura tried to spin away, but Jane held fast onto her wrist, which resulted in an awkward sort of bear hug with Maura's back to her chest. She pulled tighter around her lying friend and growled with gritted teeth into her ear. "What. Is. Going. On."

"Nothing!" Maura whimpered, feebly trying to release herself from Jane's tight grip.

"Maura! I am warning you!" Jane threatened.

Maura was laughing nervously now and her struggle had caused her soft blond curls to cover her face messily.

Jane, still maintaining her hold, mashed her face up against the side of Maura's cheek. She glared with both of her eyes into the one eye that Maura had showing through her messy hair.

"Fine!" Maura finally relented. "Fine, it's a party!"

Shocked, Jane let Maura go and shouted, "A PARTY?!"

"Why did they choose _me _to do this?" Maura asked herself aloud as she began to pace about the room. "Everyone must know by now that for me fabrication clearly produces acute urticaria and-"

Jane's face read: I am not amused.

"I'm sorry!" Maura declared. She flashed a charming, pleading smile that was just too much to resist for Jane.

Jane's way of forgiving Maura was to flop down in her chair and rub her temples.

"Alright," she finally sighed. "Let's get this over with."

Maura beamed.


	4. Chapter 4

A few minutes later, the office was full of co-workers and all sorts of Rizzoli's. They had all brought presents, cards, and of course, alcohol.

Angela Rizzoli was almost crying and kept kissing her daughter on the cheek while exclaiming, "Happy Birthday, my baby!"

Jane smiled at everyone who came to celebrate with her. She would never admit to anyone that she actually loved the party and was very touched.

"Thanks for pretending to be surprised," came a whisper in Jane's ear accompanied by a light touch to her waist. Chills went through her whole body at that sensation and she was so bewildered when she turned to find the voice coming from Maura. They walked a little way away from the party and leaned against a brick wall facing eachother.

Maura's cheeks were red. She had definitely been drinking. They made meaningful eye contact for a few seconds. Jane noticed just how beautiful her best friend was and she suddenly had a pit in her stomach.

Maura kept smiling and looking into Jane's eyes. Either it was Jane's imagination, or Maura was inching closer and closer towards her. No. It was not her imagination. Unexpectedly, Jane felt nervous and excited to be in such close proximity with this gorgeous woman. She started breathing heavily.

Maura bit her lip.

"Oh! I have one!" Maura yelled, making Jane jump and blush.

"One what?" Jane squeaked. She was terrified by the thoughts she was just having.

"A joke!" Maura chuckled.

Jane closed her eyes, and then smiled at Maura. "Ok. Shoot."

Maura put on a show for Jane, imitated someone getting ready to perform an Olympic stunt, and prepared herself. "Ok. Here goes…" She shook her hands and bounced from foot to foot.

Jane was excited to hear what she had to say. She had no idea what to expect.

"What is the difference… between an etymologist and an entomologist?"

Jane laughed and said in her gravely voice, "I honestly have no idea."

"An etymologist would know the difference!" Maura gushed. She waited for Jane's reaction with an open mouthed smile.

Jane opened her mouth to say something. Then shut it. She only smiled.

"Get it?" Maura was almost squealing.

Jane smiled bigger.

"Because… Because _entomologists… _they study bugs! Right? A-a-and… _etymologists," _she giggled uncontrollably, "Etymologists study linguistics!"

Jane bit her lip to keep from laughing. Not at Maura's joke, but at Maura.

Luckily they were interrupted.

"Jane!" Frost called from across the room. He approached and Maura finally stopped laughing at her own joke.

"What's up, Frost?" Jane eagerly greeted her partner.

Frost's eyes darted back and forth between Jane and Maura, probably wondering why they were so close to each other. Jane backed away slightly.

"Uh, your brother needs to talk to you, I guess." Frost stated, jabbing his thumb over to the other corner of the room.

"Alrighty." Jane said. "I'll be right back", she mentioned to Maura while touching her on the arm. She walked away and turned back to pat Frost on the back and say with a smile, "Hey, Maura's got a great joke to tell you."


	5. Chapter 5

Jane strutted over to her brother who was crazily waving at her to come over.

"What's up, Frankie?" Jane asked, as she got close enough.

"We got a problem, Sis." Frankie whispered.

"What? What is it?" Jane growled. She was actually having a good time, and it was not the time for Rizzoli family drama.

"It's Tommy…" Frankie continued.

Jane didn't wait to hear more. She let out a very loud growl that she was sure every person at the party could hear. In fact, many heads were turned. She pulled Frankie by the arm out of the room. For some reason, Jane couldn't get her conversation she was having with Maura out of her head. She smiled as she remembered Maura's adorable face when she was explaining her highbrow joke and laughing so jubilantly. Her laugh was still ringing in her ears. She was dying to go back to her, but she apparently wasn't lucky enough on her birthday.

When she had dragged Frankie far enough away she snarled, "What!"

Frankie muttered, "I can't find him. And… I can't find the bottle of whiskey that I brought."

"God, Tommy!" Screamed Jane, "Why does he have to do this to us? Does Ma know what's going on?"

"Nope"

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Jane stalked away and went down the elevator, not really sure where she was going to start looking for her brother.

She got out onto the street and took a deep breath. She took a moment to collect her thoughts. She was scared to even admit to herself what had gone through her head while she was inches away from her best friend. She bit the nail on her thumb and paced in front of the building for what seemed like hours. Maura's eyes. Maura's lips. Maura's hair. Maura's body. Theses images kept flashing in front of her. Such alluring images. She eventually got so frustrated she screamed and kicked over a garbage can nearby. It made a colossal crash as it spilled into the street.

"Janey?" called a voice from somewhere above.

Jane twirled around and looked up, searching for the source of the voice. She saw a shadowy figure on the roof of the police station. She squinted in the darkness.

"It's me! Tommy!" her brother called out.

"What the HELL are you doing up there!?" Jane shouted, wondering how much of her little temper tantrum he had seen. Then she remembered that she was only outside to find Tommy so she pointed at him and warned. "Stay. There."

She made it all the way to the roof access door and found that it was already propped open. She kicked it open and went to find her brother. Before she found him, she found a half-empty bottle of whiskey. Frankie's whisky. She picked up the bottle and stormed to find her future murdered brother.

"TOMMY I'm going to kill you!" Jane screamed.

"Whoa Whoa Whoa!" Tommy appeared with his hands raised above his head like a perp. "Whoo, I excepted you to have your damn gun drawn!" he laughed.

Jane considered throwing the liquor bottle at his head.

"You drinkin' again, Tommy?" Jane accused as she waved the bottle over her head.

"No."

"How come everything you say sounds like a lie to me?"

"Sis. I promise. I didn't bring that up here for me."

"Oh right, then who the hell drank all of this, huh?"

Tommy paused. He clicked his tongue and weighed his options. "Uh… she did…" he pointed to a blond woman curled up on the other side of the roof.

"Lydia?"

Tommy smiled almost exactly how Maura had a few hours earlier. The 'please forgive me' smile. Jane noted that this trick did not work on her when if came from her brother instead of her best friend. She continued to frown at her brother.

Tommy's smile vanished. "She, uh, passed out…"

"No. Shit." Jane was done with this. She turned to leave.

"Are you gonna help me out, or what?" Tommy called out after her.

"You're a big boy, bro! I'll take this off your hands though," shaking the whiskey. "Stay out of trouble or I swear to God…"

Jane went back to the party and wordlessly gave Frankie his booze.

"Ah, you found it! Everything alright with him?" Frankie asked.

"Don't ask." Jane was already scanning the room looking for Maura.

Frost stumbled up to her and grinned widely. "Hi-i-i-i, Jane! Where have you been, girl! Everyone's been looking for you! You are the birthday gir- I mean birthday detective!" Frost was obviously drunk. It was a funny sight to see. Korsak walked up behind him and made a tipsy movement, making fun of the younger man who apparently had had a little too much to drink.

Jane sniggered. "You seen Maura?" She directed at Korsak.

"She was off lookin' for you, actually," he replied, looking around the room as well.

"Thanks"

"No problem. And happy birthday, detective!" winked Korsak.

Jane simply smiled and went off to look for Maura. She must have been gone from the party for about an hour looking for Tommy. Jane figured she would look for her downstairs in her office. When she got downstairs she thought she heard voices. She listened intently. She suddenly became aware that she was feeling jealous that Maura was down here with someone. She shook her head and continued around the corner to Maura's office. She found Maura alright. But she was alone. Talking to herself.

"…My jokes. I have a good sense of humor you know." Maura was ranting. "I even make myself laugh all the time, I mean. I bet Bass laughs at me all the time." Jane sat silently in the chair across from Maura, who was sitting at her desk with her head resting on an outstretched arm. She obviously did not see Jane. Jane took a few seconds to take in the view of this person that she knew so well. That odd feeling came back. Again.

"Ahem", Jane drew attention to herself.

Maura's head flew up off of the desk and her surprise morphed into absolute delight when she saw who was sitting in her office. "Jane!"

She ran around her desk and stopped her wobbly self by placing both of her hands on Jane's knees. She stared into Jane's eyes and then flipped emotions again.

"He tried to _kiss _me, Jane!" Maura lamented. She grabbed Jane's face between her hands and pulled her forward to accentuate her point as she repeated, "He tried… to kiss me!"

"Who?" asked Jane, perplexed.

Maura pouted and crossed her arms in front of her body. Jane noticed Maura's dress was hanging a little crocked on her frame and there was more cleavage showing than she was used to. Jane averted her eyes.

"Frost!" Maura whined stomping her foot like a child.

Jane laughed and stood up. "Ha. The dude is plowed. He also hit on me. And Frankie. And Korsak, if that makes you feel better!"

"It does!" Maura said, immediately cheery again. "Ok, now. Back to business." She surprised Jane by grabbing her shoulders and pulling her within inches of her face. Jane could smell something wonderful, mixed with a lot of alcohol. "Did you understand my joke?"

Jane stared at her in disbelief. "I- yes, yes I think I did, I-"

"You _think_?!" Maura laughed. "You either do or you don't, Jane." She looked into Jane's eyes with a flirtatious, challenging gaze.

Jane licked her lips. She looked at Maura's.

Suddenly, Maura leaned in and kissed Jane on the nose. Jane was surprised, but Maura seemed more surprised.

"I am sorry, your nose just looked so cute right then!" she apologized as she crossed to the other side of the office. She leaned her back against a wall and covered her face with her hands.

Jane froze and briefly considered walking out of the office. She was drunk, and Maura was obviously drunker. She slowly crossed the room and stood in front of her best friend.

"You know," Jane said in a low voice, "You have a cute nose, too."

Maura lowered her hands gradually until they only covered her mouth.

They looked at each other for a few moments. Maura suddenly felt a lot less drunk. Jane closed the distance between the two women and placed a little kiss on the tip of Maura's nose. She lingered inches away from Maura's face, maintaining direct eye contact.

They both made their move at the exact same time. Each woman hastily seized the other's face and their lips joined with an intense heat. There was a passionate urgency in the way that they moved their lips against each other. They both audibly sighed their approval of what was transpiring. Jane had Maura pressed up against the wall, her hands moving from Maura's cheeks, down her neck, and resting on her ribs in the space between her hips and breasts. She grabbed at the flesh there through her silky dress. Meanwhile, Maura's hands were pushing at the back of Jane's head, silently begging her to delve further into her mouth. She tugged at Jane's hair and moaned as Jane moved her hot lips down to her soft neck. Maura tilted her head to the side to give Jane access to her entire neck.

Jane hungrily kissed and sucked at Maura's neck as Maura's hands wandered down Jane's back. She gripped Jane's belt right above her hips and pulled vigorously so that their bodies were touching at every possible point.

Neither of them had a thought in their heads about the future. The passion was completely blinding. Everything else was irrelevant.

"Jane." Maura whispered. It was the first word that was spoken between them since Jane told Maura about her cute nose. "Jane," she repeated, louder. At this point, Jane's lips had made their way to the middle of Maura's chest. She was tugging at her dress and gaining access to her breasts.

"Oh, Jane!" Maura said yet again.

It was getting so heated, and neither of them knew where it was going to go, or what it meant.

They didn't have time to find out. Someone was coming down the hallway.

"Hello?" the stranger shouted. The detective and the doctor broke apart hastily just in time for the door to Maura's office to swing open.


	6. Chapter 6

"There you are! I've been looking ev- whoa, what is wrong with you guys?" Frankie hollered looking from one panting woman to the other. He had just burst in and interrupted a very frenzied interaction between his sister and her best friend. Neither woman moved or spoke. Frankie blinked and his eyes darted between them again. "Uh… are you guys ok?"

Maura was the first to recover. "Frankie. Ah, yes I- we… I'm fine. We're fine." She stammered while casually straightening her dress and hair. She gave him her signature Maura smile and assured him that she had had too much to drink during the party.

Frankie seemed to believe her. He turned his attention to Jane. "Jane, uh, you went missing for, like, a long time. Everyone left. The party's over."

Jane wiped off her mouth with her fingertips simply saying, "Oh. Okay." Maura continued smiling like an idiot and looked over at Jane.

Jane said nothing else but thought:  
_Shit. Maura. Is. Smiling. Like a moron! SHIT!_

Jane moved her hand to her nose to pretend that she was itching it, but she was really covering up a dumbass smile that was creeping onto her face. She couldn't help it; her abdomen started shaking with the giggles that she was trying to suppress. She had never had so many feelings at once.

Apparently Frankie was oblivious, stupid, or blamed their behavior on the alcohol because all he said was," Ok, well I'm goin' now, just wanted to let you know you're party is officially over. I am off to start my overnight shift. Happy Birthday, sis!" He turned, glanced once more at Dr. Isles and head out.

Maura looked back at the dark-haired woman across the room and realized she was shaking. She looked down at her own hand and was surprised to see a tremor there too.

Jane finally turned to Maura, opened her mouth to speak and was instantly cut off by her cell phone. Maura closed her eyes, scrunched her nose, and smirked. Jane made no indication that she would answer the phone.

"Go ahead. Please." Maura weakly said. She really just needed some more time to recover from that whole jarring experience.

Jane's eyes never left Maura. "Rizzoli…" She listened. "What? No, wait. Slow down. Wait. Calm down!" She listened again. Maura, still frozen against the wall, opened her eyes and became worried at the tone of Jane's voice.

"NO!" Jane screamed into the phone. "I'll be right there!" She hung up the phone and there was nothing but panic in her voice and movements. "There's been an accident!"

Maura saw the tears beginning to spill out of those giant brown eyes and she immediately snapped into Dr. Isles mode. "Jane! Let's go." She ran to Jane, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the elevator. Jane was obviously in a state of shock, and allowed herself to be ushered around by her. They wordlessly rushed to Maura's car.

"Boston Medical Center." Jane muttered.

Maura drove faster than she ever had in her life. It didn't take long to get there. Maura pulled up to the emergency entrance and had barely stopped when Jane catapulted out and ran inside.

Jane ran to the sign in desk and screamed hysterically, "I'm Jane Rizzoli, I am Angela Rizzoli's daughter!" The nurse told her she'd help and instantly got on the phone. She hung up after a few words.

"She's in critical condition. She can't be seen right now, I am sorry. You'll have to wait."

Jane screamed in frustration. She wasn't sure what she was about to do, but she felt like her body was going to lose control. A pair of steady hands grabbed her shoulders and led her to a chair. Her eyes were blurred with tears, but she soon realized her brother Tommy was the one holding her. She cried into his jacket while he stroked her back.

Maura sat in the chair next to Jane and remained silent.

Two hours passed.

Tommy was up looking for information from the doctors and nurses milling around. Jane was starring off into space, chewing her thumbnail. Maura was holding her other hand tightly.

It was around Midnight. Still no news.

Tommy had almost gotten kicked out three times for his temper while dealing with the doctors. No one seemed to have any answers.

Finally, they were informed they could visit. Jane practically ran into the room that they had indicated. The woman that lay in that hospital bed was severely bruised and broken. Though she could hardly make out any facial features, Jane knew that the woman was not Angela Rizzoli. Maura and Tommy came into the room and they all exchanged bewildered looks.

"Excuse me!" Jane yelled as she grabbed the arm of a passing nurse. "I got a call that my mother was in an accident. What is going on here?"

"I- Sorry, I can't help you, let me send someone else who can." The nurse pleaded.

Jane was losing patience. It said a lot that Tommy was attempting to calm her down.

"I'm going to figure out where Ma is," he insisted and ran out of the room.

Jane rested her head in her hands and tried to breathe deep.

Maura's voice urgently interrupted the silence. "Jane! Come look at this!" Maura was holding a wallet. "This was sitting here on the table! It… it has you mom's driver's license in it."

"WHAT?" her voice cracked harshly as she rushed over.

Jane verified the ID, handed it roughly back to Maura, and took out her phone. She did not notice that a scrape of paper had flown out of the wallet, but Dr. Isles did. She knelt down to retrieve it, and read it from the ground while Jane tried to reach her mom.

Maura was still squatting over the sheet of paper when Jane came back crying with joy.

"She's home. Ma's home." She sobbed.

Maura stood and pulled Jane into an embrace, supporting her in her extremely emotional state. Jane cried into her shoulder for a few moments. After the shock of everything subsided, Jane pulled away and looked into Maura's eyes.

"Jane… Um… " She hesitated. "I found something else". She handed the piece of paper to Jane. It read:

Dear Jane

Games are fun, aren't they?

I got to see you cry today.

It was delicious.

Scrumptious.

I love to see you suffer

Won't you join me for an after party tonight?

I think I need some more.

I know you'll find me.

I'll be waiting.

Don't tempt me to do this again.


	7. Chapter 7

It was close to 2AM. Maura, Korsak, and about 9 cops were in the homicide office. They were all there. Guarding Jane. Jane was convinced she had to go fight this battle. No one believed her when she said she knew what to do. Maura looked at her with sad eyes three desks away.

"I know who this is from, we have to get him!" Jane was screaming at Korsak. This had been going on for half an hour. "This guy is a creep. I didn't think I'd ever meet anyone as twisted as Hoyt… This is the guy that watches my every move and kills people as a twisted gift to me. It's Pete Terance. They told me he had died-that's what they TOLD ME. But this letter proves he is still alive and he's going to kill someone _tonight. _We have to-"

"Jane, we can't. It's not safe, we have no idea where he is or what he's capable of."

"We have to find him." Jane wasn't letting go.

Korsak walked over to where Maura was sitting. "Can you get her some tea or something, she needs to calm down."

An officer offered to accompany her downstairs. They left and Jane took a minute out of her tirade to gaze after Maura as she walked away.

Downstairs, Maura made tea with shaking hands. So much had happened in the last few hours. The officer she was with waited patiently by the door, occasionally looking out the window. She had finished and composed herself, ready to head back upstairs, when they heard gunshots outside. The officer drew his gun and they both rushed outside.

Maura rushed to the aid of a bleeding woman on the sidewalk while the officer searched around for the gunman. There was a large gunshot wound in the woman's chest. She was not going to make it much longer. Maura put pressure on the wound and called out for the officer.

"Help! We need help! Call an ambulance, she needs an ambulance. She's goi-" She was cut off mid sentence by another gunshot. She turned just in time to see the officer go down. The cop's walkie-talkie shattered on the ground. The gunman rushed at Maura and grabbed her by the hair. She let out a bloodcurdling scream. The man wrapped his giant arms around her and started running. Her screams continued as he threw her into a trunk and shut it. He got into the car and drove away.

Upstairs, the arguing was getting out of hand. It was so loud in the room, they didn't hear a thing until the heard the panting cries of a man running into the room. The officer that accompanied Maura downstairs had managed to make it upstairs with his injuries.

"HELP!" He screamed. Every one ran to his aid. "I've been shot. There is a woman bleeding out on the street and Dr. Isles has been taken."

Jane stood up and ran. Dozens of hands attempted to restrain her, but her terror and anger were too much. She bolted past every cop and detective and careened down the stairwell.

She couldn't cry; she knew she would lose it, but she was whimpering as she was running, "Maura, Maura, no please, Maura, Maura, Maura…" She made it to her car and knew where to go. It was the last place that she had seen Terence. It had meaning to both of them. Four years ago Jane had had a near death experience at the hands of this scumbag. She had broken his jaw and severely lacerated his left eye. He had escaped and he had been haunting her ever since. She never found him again. And now, he was back. Back to get revenge. Jane couldn't let him win. Now that he had Maura, the most important person in her life, she knew she would kill him. Just like Hoyt.

_No one will hurt my Maura. No one._

She was grinding her teeth in fury, driving triple the speed limit. She squealed to a stop at the dockside warehouse. This was it.

_Time to save my Maura._


	8. Chapter 8

Jane was now fully aware of her surroundings. The sun was beginning to rise on the pier, and the dim light revealed a dingy room with a small wooden table. On the table laid a cloth. On the cloth-Jane struggled to swallow through a very swollen mouth- were tools. Sharp tools. Another tear streaked down her beaten face. How could she have been so stupid to rush here alone? She was so sure that she would have been able to do this single-handedly. Kill this bastard. Save Maura.

_Maura._

Jane's heart sank.

She didn't have much time to dwell on her mistakes. Terence was returning. She began to tremble uncontrollably. She was losing strength.

The big man lumbered into the room, saw Jane was conscious and smiled. His smile was crooked. He leaned close to her face and ripped the tape from her mouth.

Jane tried to speak, but she choked on the blood that was still streaming from her mouth. She spat and tried again.

"I see you didn't get that jaw fixed."

He laughed. It was a horrible sound. His voice was horrible too. "Yes, my dear Jane. But I did get a cool new glass eye, wanna see Jane? I can't see with it, which is a shame. It is hard to stalk people with one eye. Thanks for that, Jane." Every time he used Jane's name he said lovingly. It made her so sick.

"I am sorry I had to rough you up a little bit, Jane. I really just missed you so much, but I felt like you needed to be punished for our last encounter, don't you Jane?"

"Where have you been for the last four years, you monster!?" Jane spat, along with more blood.

Terence smiled again. "You've been busy for the last four years, Jane! You got a new… friend? Is she a friend? I can't tell. She certainly is pretty. She seeing anyone? Do you think I have a chance? Huh, Jane?"

"Let her go! Please! I am begging you. You can do anything you want to me, just please- _please _don't hurt her. Please!" Jane's voice was cracking with the strain of her intense emotion.

"Oh. So she isn't just your friend is she, Jane? I never knew this about you, Jane."

"Please…"

"This… is perfect. This… will be so much fun, Jane." With that, he left the room again.

Jane screamed after him until she was hoarse. There was so much blood around her and every part of her body felt like it was burning. Then, the most painful experience she had ever had was upon her. Her heart began to ache so badly when she saw what Terance brought back with him: it was Maura. She was tied up like Jane; hands behind her back, tape over her mouth. Jane let out a strangled sob when she saw there were bloodstains on her beautiful dress. She was conscious, but couldn't move. Her eyes met Jane's and she saw tears streaming down her soft cheeks. He threw her tiny body across from Jane and then moved to the wooden table.

"Jane." He sneered. "Oh Jane, we are going to have a lot of fun now. I love seeing you cry. I don't know why, I just love it. It makes me so very happy." He grabbed a sharp tool from the pile and examined it in the increasing light. "Oh this one looks fun, hm Jane? Shall we give it a whirl?" He inched it close to Maura's face. Maura whimpered. Jane screamed. He brought it back over to Jane and cut her across the cheek. It hurt, but she was glad it was her, not Maura. Maura's eyes were shut. She was still crying.

"I can do this forever." Terence gushed. He went back over to Maura and let the sharp tool puncture the bottom of her dress. He lifted it slowly. "Have you seen what's under here, Jane? Have you?"

"Stop it!" Jane screamed.

He kept going. He exposed her perfect thighs and lacey underwear. "Ooh, lookie here, Jane!" He cut the inside of Maura's thigh, and her scream was the worst sound Jane could ever imagine hearing.

"Please!"

"Ok. Why Jane? Why should I stop? What does this little angel mean to you? You can't share, Jane? What does she mean to you, Jane?"

"I LOVE HER!" Jane bellowed and lashed out violently with her bound legs. The edge of her boot caught a leg of the wooden table and silvery, sharp tools flew through the air and clattered to the stone floor. The sound was deafening. She rolled over again and kicked at Terance's legs, sweeping him to the ground. He landed on one of the tools, which punctured right into his muscular back. With an anguished cry, he took another of the tools and rolled towards Maura, this time aiming for her neck. In an amazing feat of strength, Jane broke the bonds around her wrist, scooped up a dull blade and drove it into Terance's good eye. He shrieked in pain as blood flowed freely over the floor. Jane stood, grabbed her gun from his pocket, and blew a shot right into his head. He stopped moving instantly. Jane dropped to her knees. She shot him again. Maura lay motionless, still crying. Jane collapsed to the bloodstained ground and her body gave in. Maura gained enough strength to crawl over Terance's lifeless body to get to Jane's unconscious body. She wrapped her up in her arms and sobbed for a very long time.

"Maura…" Jane whispered.

Maura continued sobbing.

"Maura." Jane's eyes were closed but she kept saying Maura's name. She repeated it over and over.

After a few minutes, she stopped. Maura heard people running to where they were. Korsak flew into the warehouse yelling for the rest of the crew to join him.

"Is she ok?" he asked the weeping Dr. Isles.

"Severely beaten…" she choked, "Contusions. She is still alive. She saved my life. She saved my life!"

Paramedics came with a stretcher and they tried to load Jane's body onto it. Maura wouldn't let go of her. She held on and insisted to go with.

"Honey," Korsak softly said, "You need medical attention, too."

Maura looked down at her thigh. It was bleeding everywhere. "Simple laceration. I am guessing it will probably need two-layer suturing based on the deeper level of tissue damage."

"You guessed…" Jane grumbled with a half smile, as they were both loaded onto stretchers.


	9. Chapter 9

Jane blinked awake in a room with brilliant white lights. Her eyes took several seconds to adjust to the brightness. The first thing that came into focus was her feet, two lumps under a white blanket. Her left wrist had a plastic bracelet that read:

_Rizzoli, Jane C. Sex: F_

_DOB: 08/10/1972 ADM: 08/11/2012_

_Boston Medical Center_

She slowly turned her head to the right and saw that someone was holding her right hand: a sleeping Maura Isles. Jane smiled (not without some physical pain) at the sight of her friend curled up on an uncomfortable hospital chair. She was breathing steadily, her chest rising and falling delicately, and she looked so very peaceful. Jane's eyes wandered down her curved body and she noted that there were bandages covering one of her legs. She thought about everything that had happened on her birthday. It all seemed like a dream, a nightmare at some points. She ran through the memories in her head. The image of Terance's bloodied body. The sound of his laugh. Maura's screams of pain. Jane flinched from that memory and involuntarily squeezed Maura's hand. The pressure caused her to stir in her sleep and raise her head off the back of the chair. Her eyes fluttered open, and seeing Jane awake, she leaned forward and brought her other hand flew to Jane's, pressing it between hers.

"Jane!" she whispered.

Jane tried to lift her head off of the pillow, but made it a few centimeters before she let it fall back. She licked her lips, finding them surprisingly moist and… fruity? She licked them again.

"Raspberry…?", Jane rasped, her voice even rougher than usual.

Maura broke into a bright smile. "Boysenberry, actually." She reached into her bag and pulled out a small tube of lip balm. "Quiet a unique, sweet flavor, isn't it? Did you know that Boysenberries are actually a result of plant experimentation by a farmer in the late 1920's? His name was Rudolph Boysen. They're a cross between raspberries, blackberries, and loganberries and, though he abandoned his project, it was picked up by a Botanist, (well, technically a Pomologist) and was the first to commercially cultivate them. " She took a breath to continue her rant but suddenly her face fell. "Jane." she frowned. "Are you alright? You've usually interrupted me by now during my educational factoids."

"I'm sorry, I guess I don't have much energy right now. I will next time, I promise." Jane replied sarcastically.

Maura relaxed again, meeting Jane's eyes with a thoughtful gaze. After a moment of silence she whispered, "Jane… I was so scared."

"I was, too. I lost my mind with rage. I never meant for you to get hurt, Maura. I'm so sorry." Tears spilled out of her eyes.

Maura took Jane's hand again. She came closer to her bed and pressed the back of her hand to her chest. "I am sorry you had to go through this again." She started tearing up as well.

Jane hated seeing her cry so she tried to lighten the mood. "Well, I had a great birthday, huh?"

Maura laughed through a sob and gazed lovingly down at Jane.

She opened her mouth to say something, when there was a knock on the door to Jane's room.

A nurse entered.

"Miss Rizzoli, nice to see you're awake. Your friend here hasn't left your side" she commented as she crossed the room to check on the medical equipment attached to the patient. "How are you feeling?"

"Ah, little groggy, sore. I've had worse." Jane said with a shrug.

"That's good. We will probably be able to let you out of here as soon as tomorrow."

Jane groaned.

Maura's hand went to Jane's shoulder.

The nurse left again, but before the door was even closed, it swung open again revealing a hustling Angela Rizzoli.

"Jane! My baby!" she cried, "You're finally awake! My _baby!_" She threw herself onto her daughter, hugging and kissing her.

"Ow, Ma, OW!" Jane protested angrily.

"You need a new job, Jane! I can't stand you doing what you do! It was your birthday for heaven's sake! You're not supposed to almost die on your birthday!" she shouted.

"Ma, it's over. I'm fine…" Then she added with a snarl. "The bastard is dead."

Angela did not seem reassured.

"Ma. I'm fine." Jane repeated.

She couldn't bring herself to admit how foolish she had been to face Terance alone. She still couldn't believe she had done that. But emotions were all that drove her that night. Fear, rage, vengeance. And apparently, love.

"Well your giving your mother heart problems. Maybe an ulcer!" Angela complained. "Anyway, you get to go home tomorrow if you behave, so get some more rest, you hear me? And _you," _she pointed at Maura, "get out of here and get some real sleep!"

Maura didn't have time to object, as Angela was already behind her, pushing her out of the room lecturing, "I'm driving you home, young lady." Maura turned and caught one last glimpse of Jane before she was ushered out the door.

Jane closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep while thousands of thoughts and memories swam through her head. She thought about the insane man she had killed, the injuries she had sustained, and the idiotic decision she made in the heat of Maura's kidnapping. She thought about Maura's terror filled eyes, bloodstained dress, and tear-streaked cheeks. She thought about the long night she had spent in the hospital lobby, believing her mother was on the brink of death. How Terance had used her and caused her pain, just because he enjoyed it so much. He had been watching her the whole time. Like a sick puppet show.

That monster. Jane was glad he was dead. She was glad she was the one to kill him. Her muscles tensed as hatred and disgust coursed through her body. She replayed the images in her head over and over again. His crooked smile. The sharp, silver tools. The appalling way he lifted the hem of Maura's dress…

Jane's head was swimming with all of these thoughts. Her own deafening screams from when she had leapt to defend Maura from torture rang through her ears in the silence of her hospital room.

She was now very infuriated from reflecting on that terrible experience. She kept obsessing, wondering if there was any way she could have prevented the events that had transpired. Her breathing became ragged and tears were flowing down her face and along her clenched jaw. After a few minutes of pain, she decided to try to calm herself and alleviate the intense guilt she was feeling.

_There's nothing I can do to erase the mistake I made. It is over and done with._

_I am lucky to be alive._

_My family is safe. _

_My mother was not hurt._

_Maura is safe._

Jane thought about how wonderful it was to see Maura when she woke up. Just thinking of Maura again caused her muscles to relax.

Then with a jolt, Jane thought about the drunken encounter she and Maura had shared at the party that night. Her stomach fluttered and her pulse quickened just from the recollection of that heated passion that had engulfed them in Maura's office. Maura's office, where they had been together hundreds of times solving cases, helping each other with family issues, talking about men…

It was not something she had ever expected to happen. She remembered Maura inching close to her before telling her joke. She remembered finding Maura in her office, very intoxicated, mumbling to herself and becoming almost bipolar bouncing between emotions. She smiled at the memory of Maura kissing her on the nose and immediately retreating in embarrassment. And then, it had happened. The most intense physical connection Jane had ever had in her life. Maura's aroma had been wonderful, her lips and skin so soft, and the way she had quietly uttered Jane's name had driven Jane absolutely crazy.

Too much had happened since then for her to even begin to process it. After replaying the whole situation in her head, Jane blushed and realized that she was aroused right there in her hospital bed.

_Holy crap. _

She finally drifted off to sleep with the image of Maura's gorgeous face and magnificent body in her head.

And Detective Jane Rizzoli had her very first sex dream about Dr. Maura Isles that night.


	10. Chapter 10

_Maura was sitting at her desk at work, doing paperwork when she heard a noise behind her. It was Jane coming to visit her. She stood up to greet her with a hug. She released the hug only to realize that Jane was still holding onto her tightly. She wrapped her arms around Jane again. Jane's face was buried in Maura's neck. Maura's body had a strange reaction to the gentle air that was brushing her sensitive skin. Jane began to softly nuzzle and then slowly brought her face to Maura's while keeping her arms around her. She looked into her eyes for a second, and then delicately kissed her lips. Maura was surprised, but made no effort to stop her. Their lips remained connected and the kiss turned from delicate to powerful in the matter of a few seconds._

_Maura moaned and her hands moved to Jane's hair, teasing it with her fingers while Jane's hands pulled forcefully at the small of Maura's back. After what seemed like minutes, the kiss was broken. Maura looked into Jane's eyes, searching for an indication of her emotion._

_Suddenly, Jane swung Maura off her feet causing her to yelp involuntarily. She was somewhat roughly placed onto her desk and her papers flew in all directions. Jane immediately threw her body on top of Maura's and their lips found each other again, this time hungry and frenzied. Jane's hands frantically worked over Maura's body, finding her hips, her stomach, and finally her breasts. Maura gasped as Jane ran her hands over them, now softly, now intensely, always keeping her lips moving. She then felt Jane's hot breath on her neck and Maura lifted her chin up, realizing how hard and fast she was breathing. She was so aroused; there was an ache between her legs._

"_Jane." She pleaded._

_Jane knew exactly what she wanted. Tore off her panties and forced Maura's legs open with one swift motion._

"_Yes!" Maura gasped._

_Jane forced her body down hard between Maura's legs, running her hand from the top of her curved knee, up her thigh and finally right where she needed it._

"_Oh, Jane!" she called…_

A loud crash caused Maura to scream and jolt upright. She was wrapped in a blanket on her couch at home. Her brow was slightly wet with sweat and she was breathing fast.

_A dream?!_

Angela Rizzoli rushed from the kitchen to the couch crying, "I'm sorry, Maura! I didn't realize you were sleeping out here!" She took one look at the woman on the couch and said, "Gee, are you alright? You look terrible!"

Maura responded by repeatedly blinking and placing her hand on her quickly pounding heart. She finally stammered, "I- I just… I didn't know- I…" She breathed deeply, starting again, "I had a really realistic dream. I did not even… I- It's ok, Angela. I'll be ok…" She smiled weakly.

"I was just cooking up something for you to eat, and I dropped a pan. I am so sorry for scaring you, dear!" Angela apologized.

Maura was shaking slightly.

Angela sat next to her on the couch and asked, "Well, do you wanna talk about your dream?"

Maura felt the blood rush to her face as she recalled the details of her dream.

"No." was all that she could manage to say to Jane's mother.

The next day, Frankie and Angela went together to collect Jane from the hospital. When they arrived, Jane was already up pacing the floor in front of her bed nervously. She had her street clothes on already and looked up when they entered her room.

"Okay! Let's get outta here!" Jane shouted barging past her family members. They exchanged glances, then turned to follow her to the parking lot.

In the car, Jane was fidgety, playing with her hands and shaking her legs. Her body had healed fairly well and the bruises and cuts on her face were the only indicators that she had even been injured. Frankie stared at his sister with a look of worry.

Angela seemed less concerned, "Jane, we are so happy you are alright. Everyone's so excited to see you."

Jane snapped out of her trance. "Everyone? Who's everyone?"

"Just the people that care about you, Jane!"

Jane opened her mouth to argue, but knew it was useless. She knew all hopes she had of spending time alone in her apartment were dashed.

Sure enough, they opened the door to Jane's apartment to be greeted by a handful of people. Tommy, Lydia, Korsak, Frost, and a few others were lounging about in the living room. They all got up to hug Jane one by one. She greeted them all with an uncomfortable laugh, feeling embarrassed that they were making such a big deal of her discharge from the hospital.

"Sit, sit." demanded her mother. She rested on a couch and Jo Friday jumped into her lap. "I'll get you some water."

"I'll do you one better," Frost smiled as he handed her an ice-cold beer. That evoked a genuine smile as she twisted it open and raised it to her partner.

"Cheers." She grinned.

"Cheers." Frost returned.

After taking a much-needed swig, Jane stroked her dog's fur and looked around the room.

"Where's Maura?" she asked causally through another sip of beer.

"I am not entirely sure…" stated Angela. "She seemed pretty upset about something when I saw her last night. She wasn't home when I woke up this morning."

Jane perked up, immediately worried. "Upset? Is she okay? What if she's in trouble?"

"She's fine," Angela assured her. "She left a message on my phone that said not to worry."

Jane remained worried. She could not get Maura out of her mind, especially after the dream she had last night. She was looking forward to seeing her, and was extremely disappointed she was not here. Jane felt hurt and confused. She attempted to forget about it by engaging in conversation with Korsak and Frost.

They were discussing the events the other night dealing with Terance.

"Jane. You are one crazy woman." Mused Korsak in reference to her behavior that night. Catching her look of despair, he added hastily, "Now don't get me wrong, I got a helluva lot of respect for what you did. I've never seen you so determined. And I've worked with you forever!"

"I wish I had been there to see you in action, partner." Frost chimed in.

Jane sighed. "Thanks you guys… one less creep I have to worry about now."

"Things have been surprisingly slow lately. You haven't missed much." Korsak said.

"I can't wait to get back to work." Jane replied.

After another hour or so, Jane had drank a few beers and mingled with her family and coworkers. She was getting a little fatigued, and excused herself to the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bathtub with her head down and her hands laced behind her neck. She closed her eyes for a while. Then, she stood up and went to the sink, gazing at herself in the mirror. She moved her face in the light, noting the inflammation and bruising around her eye. She gingerly prodded at her sore face and winced when it hurt more than she expected. She leaned with both hands on the sink and sighed, continuing to stare at her reflection.

There was a light knock at the door and someone entered without waiting for permission. Jane turned and saw that it was Maura. Her hair was perfect, as usual, and a very pretty dress. She was holding a bouquet of flowers.

She stepped into the small room, closing the door behind her silently.

"Hi." She whispered and handed the flowers to Jane.

"Hi." Jane replied. She felt her face smile just at the sight of her. She moved quickly towards her friend and wrapped her in a giant hug. Maura hugged her back, squeezing tightly.

"Jane?" she asked quietly, keeping her face buried in Jane's shoulder.

"What?" She stroked Maura's hair.

"I…" Maura started. Jane felt her swallow.

Jane stepped back and tilted Maura's chin until their eyes met. Maura was crying. She wiped her tears away with her thumbs and her feelings took over. She forced her lips to Maura's and kissed her steadily. Maura brought her hands to the back of Jane's neck and stroked gently. Eventually they broke apart.

"I don't understand what's going on." Maura whimpered.

"Neither do I…" Jane said.

"Should we… talk about it?" Maura asked. She had averted her eyes back to the floor. Jane's gaze remained on her face.

"I think we should." Jane decided. She paused. "Okay, maybe later."

And with that, she grasped Maura by the hips and brought her in for a fierce kiss.

Maura simply smiled and accepted that answer willingly.


	11. Chapter 11

Maura and Jane's bathroom escapade played out astonishingly identical to the moment they had spent together a few days earlier. They were in the exact same position; Maura pressed against a wall by a ravenous Jane. Their lips and tongues worked perfectly against each other. Jane's mouth moved to the same locations; across the jaw line, down her neck, this time feeling much more sure of what she was doing. Neither of them thought about the future or what any of it meant.

Maura made the same tantalizing sounds that drove Jane insane with desire. She was breathing heavily and moaned as Jane sucked on her sensitive neck.

"Oh, Jane…" Maura whispered again.

She pulled Jane's body closer and clutched the waistline of her pants, pulling harder and harder as she became more excited.

Jane was just making her way to Maura's chest again. She pulled at the neckline of Maura's dress and exposed more flesh to attack with her mouth. The situation was exactly the same; pure passion, pure lust. The same rush of excitement and longing. The same heat.

And unfortunately, the same disastrous outcome.

"Jane?" came the sound of Frankie's voice at the door.

The bathroom door swung open as Jane propelled herself off the wall she had just Maura pinned to. Frankie rounded the corner just in time to see her fly backwards, get tangled up in the shower curtain, and collapse with a crash into the bathtub. The shower curtain had ripped off the rod and was completely engulfing her as she sat up in the bathtub with wide eyes.

"Jane!" Frankie and Maura yelled together, both rushing to her aid.

"What the heck is going on in there!? What was that loud crashing sound?" cried Angela as she rushed into the tiny bathroom. See had a mini panic attack when she saw her daughter wrapped in the curtain, being fished out by her brother and friend. "Jane, what happened? Are you ok?"

By the time they pulled Jane to her feet and began disentangling her from the curtain, Frost, Korsak, Tommy, and Lydia had all piled into the bathroom to see what all of the commotion was.

Jane flailed her arms and legs and growled in frustration.

When it was determined that she was not hurt, Frost and Korsak broke out into peals of laughter.

"What are you doin', Rizzoli?" Korsak choked between chuckles.

"I have never seen anything so hilarious." Frost guffawed.

Even Maura, whose hand was covering her mouth, giggled involuntarily.

The shower curtain fell to the floor in a crumple and Jane stood there with a scowl on her face that silenced everyone.

"I'm sorry, Jane…" Angela said. "Really, are you ok? What happened?"

"_Fine." _Jane grumbled through gritted teeth.

"I think she had just a little bit too much… um… excitement on her first day home." Maura chimed in, receiving a glare from Jane.

_Nice choice of words, Maura!_

"I probably drank too much, _Maur_." Jane said with a sharp look at her friend. She finally softened and allowed herself to smile. "Thank you all for coming. I really do appreciate it. Now, please get out of my bathroom."

They all migrated back into the living room, starting to chuckle at the situation all over again. Jane and Maura started straightening out the shower curtain and attempting to hang it back up. Maura was looking at Jane out of the corner of her eye and smirking. Jane caught her eye and burst out laughing. They giggled for a while, until Jane realized Frankie was still in the room, staring at them.

"What, Frankie, jeez!" Jane whined.

"I came in here to _use the bathroom!" _Frankie retorted.

"Oh. All right then. We'll just uh…" She dropped the curtain into a pile in the tub, "leave that right there." She clapped her hands together twice.

"Ha, sorry!" Maura directed at Frankie as she tiptoed out of the room.

Jane trailed after her to join the others in the living room. "My brother has _the worst _timing!" Jane muttered quietly from the side of her mouth. Maura snorted and agreed.

The others were still laughing about the sight of Jane in the bathroom. Angela offered her daughter a glass of water and demanded that she drink it all.

"Well welcome home to me!" Jane stated sarcastically. She raised her eyebrows subtly at Maura on the couch next to her and they shared a secret smile. Maura cracked open a beer and gave Jane a look that said _I need plenty to drink after that fiasco. _Jane nodded her head in agreement and clinked her glass against Maura's bottle.

The rest of the night was relatively uneventful. Jane rested her head on Maura's shoulder, almost ready to fall asleep, but she listened as her family and friends socialized around her with her eyes shut.

People poked fun at Frost for not being able to hold his liquor at Jane's birthday party.

"I think you even hit on _me_!" Korsak bellowed over people's snickering.

"What can I say, man? You're a good lookin' dude." he joked, wiggling his eyebrows at the sergeant.

Korsak recoiled with an "Ehh!" and everyone laughed.

Tommy told them about his new job (after being prodded by a proudly beaming Angela) at the warehouse.

"Aw, all I really do is lift boxes and stuff. Not very hard, but I make some good money. Money I can use to help raise my son." he added, reaching out to hold Lydia's hand. Even Jane smiled at that.

Lydia told everyone about funny and cute things TJ had done lately.

"Where is my little grandson, anyhow?" Angela demaded.

"We got a babysitter. Mama's gotta party sometimes!" Lydia answered, holding up a glass of booze. Jane remembered the sight of her nephew"s mother passed out cold on the roof of the station.

_Very nice, _she thought, and made a mental note to lecture Tommy about it later.

Maura even told a joke.

_I wonder if she's drunk again… _Jane thought.

"Why do chemists call helium, curium and barium the medical elements?" she questioned the room. Everyone thought for a second and told her they gave up.

"Because if you can't helium or curium, you barium!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

She got what Jane assumed was pity laughter from the peanut gallery. Jane smiled despite herself, imagining the proud look Maura was most likely wearing on her face. Jane was completely content in this moment. She was safe and with people that she loved. It gave her a warm, cozy feeling and she fell asleep within a few minutes.

She woke up to her brothers lifting her off the couch to bring her to bed. Everyone else had left except for them, her mother, and Maura.

When they got her to her bed, Maura came in and whispered,, "I can take care of her if you guys would like to head out."

"Thanks, Maura." Angela whispered back. "I'll see you later." She put her hand on Maura's arm and squinted at her in the darkness. "Are you alright today? I was worried about you last night. You seemed really bothered and distracted by something.'

"Oh. No. I mean yes, I will be fine. I think… Thank you." she replied a bit hastily.

She followed them out and locked the door after they left. She heaved a giant sigh and returned to Jane's room. Jane was sprawled out in the position that her brothers had left her in. She watched her sleep, not daring to move closer. Eventually, she lowered herself onto the edge of the bed. Her heart was pounding. She reached over to touch Jane on her back. She rubbed it softly, watching her breath in and out. She continued this for about ten minutes, then decided to make Jane more comfortable. She yanked off her boots and maneuvered her out of her shirt, leaving her in pants and a wife beater. The moonlight streaming in through the window shone on Jane's well-formed shoulders. She wanted to touch them to see if they were as soft as they looked. They were. She smiled.

Jane stirred, and without opening her eyes grumbled, "You should stay, Maura."

Maura hesitated. "Should I?" she asked.

"Mhm."

Maura covered Jane with the comforter, then lay down next to her. She had slept in this bed a few other times, but it felt different. Maura didn't like different. She never had. Jane was already dead asleep again.

Maura tried not to think too much about their confusing circumstances. She tried to convince herself to wait until tomorrow to worry about it. She had bouts of elation followed by attacks of panic. With Jane's body radiating heat next to her and her mind going on the fritz, Maura had a long, restless night.

She only fell asleep when Jane rolled over and placed her hand on Maura's hip. Maura smiled to herself and thought:

_Tomorrow._


	12. Chapter 12

Maura Isles had awakened in the bed of Jane Rizzoli many times before. Their sleepovers weren't uncommon. What was uncommon, however, was waking up on the same side of the bed. Maura's eyes cracked open, and she found Jane's arm draped over her body. Even though Maura was very uncomfortable with change, the sensation brought a drowsy smile to her face and she avoided moving so she could enjoy the feeling longer. Jane's arm shifted and her hand grazed Maura's lower abdomen lightly causing a shiver to run through her body. She caught her breath in her throat and exhaled slowly, as if she was recovering from a shock. Her mind wandered to the previous night and she pondered the mysterious power that overtook her with each touch of Jane's hands and lips on her body. She reflected upon how quickly her excitement had escalated with the force of Jane's desire. The strength of her _own_ desire had surprised and startled her as well.

_I can't remember the last time I took so much pleasure in being with someone. _She thought, biting her bottom lip and grinning to herself. She couldn't figure out why she was so unexpectedly drawn to Jane and the harder she tried to understand, the more baffled she became. She twisted around under the covers to face her dormant friend. She thoughtfully scrutinized every detail of Jane's face, a face that she had seen almost every day for the past five years.

Jane stirred again and Maura quickly shifted her gaze to the ceiling, not wishing to get caught starring at her while she was sleeping.

Jane groaned and rubbed both hands ever her face, cringing with pain as they brushed over her bruises. She opened one eye and fixed it on Maura and croaked, "Good morning."

Maura turned her head and gave a half smile. "How are you feeling?" she inquired tenderly.

"Ah… " Jane grunted, "I'm a little sore."

Maura sat up and looked alarmed. "Injuries from your…" she faltered, wanting to avoid reiterating the trauma they had gone through at the dock warehouse. "From your… ordeal?"

"More like from my bathtub!" Jane responded with pretend grumpiness while massaging her back.

Maura laughed exuberantly and flopped back down onto the pillow. Jane's fake frown reluctantly twisted into a smile and she broke out into a chuckle, too.

When their laughs died down they heaved a sigh together and locked eyes.

"So… I guess we should talk, huh?" Jane uttered after a moment of silence.

Maura sat up and leaned her back against the dead board. She pursed her lips, looked down at her own hands and toyed with her fingertips nervously. She sighed again. "I think I'm nervous."

Jane promptly raised herself up on her elbows. "No, really?" she said sarcastically, "Maura, I'm a _detective_."

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

Jane said nothing, but looked pointedly at Maura's restless hands. Embarrassed, Maura rolled her hands into fists and tucked them under her thighs.

"But honestly… I'm nervous, too." She sat up and leaned on the headboard next to Maura. "There's just… a lot I'm unsure of right now and I don't like that."

"You've just been through a very traumatic, near death experience, Jane!"

"No," Jane argued, "_We've_ just been through a very traumatic, near death experience. You were there, too, Maur." She reached over and placed her hand lightly on Maura's injured leg.

"I was so scared… I don't think I've ever been that afraid in my life," breathed Maura.

Jane's large brown eyes dropped down to her lap. "It was all my fault. It was my fault her were in that situation. It was all my fault that you got hurt." Her voice was cracking with emotion. "I will never forgive myself for that."

"Jane? Jane. Look at me."

Jane looked up, her eyes filled with tears.

"Jane. Please listen to me. No one blames you. You saved my life. We both could've been killed, but we're here. We're safe!" She pulled at Jane's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Please. Please, don't blame yourself, okay?" When Jane didn't answer, she smacked her on the hand that she was holding, "_Okay?"_

"Ow- Ouch, yes okay, Jesus!" Jane submitted.

"Okay," Maura said, obviously very pleased with herself. Then, she straightened up and said, "Now," with a business-like air, "I suppose we should talk about what happened in my office."

"And my bathroom…"

"And my… couch." Maura added softly.

"Your couch?!" Jane exclaimed, "What the hell did we do there?!"

"Well, nothing really. I was just napping on it and…" Maura wavered briefly. "I may have… had a dream… about you… and… me…" She became a little humiliated and brought her knees to her chest and buried her face between them making the rest of her sentence muffled, "in a sexual scenario."

Jane's mouth gaped open and Maura remained hidden. There were a few seconds of silence.

"Well, I guess we gotta discuss what happened in my hospital bed, too then…" Jane muttered.

Maura head popped up and she beamed, "Oh, really Jane!?"

"Really."

She then launched into full-blown Dr. Isles mode. "Rigorous empirical studies have shown that dreams about sexual intercourse are often linked to sexual frustration created by repressed desire, allowing us to act on forbidden impulses. They often reflect our psychological wishes that we may not even be aware of. Greek philosophers like Aristotle have done some studies as far back as 300 B.C… and don't _even _get me started on 'Herr' Sigmund Freud."

Jane stared at her blankly.

"I… What? The human psyche is a powerful thing, that's all I'm saying."

"Really? Who could tell?" Jane mocked. "Can we truly not get through a single conversation without your intellectual sciencey mumbo jumbo stuff?"

"My 'intellectual sciencey mumbo jumbo stuff' is how my brain works, Jane. I can't help it." Maura pouted.

"I know, I know. You remember how much I suck at all of that history and knowledge and crap, don't you?"

Still pouting, Maura said, "You'd think you would've picked up something after all this time."

"Hey! I listen to you sometimes. I know who that Freud dude is. He's the penis guy, right?" Jane smirked.

"Uh, yes, there is a facet of Freudian psychoanalysis that theorizes that all females desire to be equipped with a penis during their psychosexual development, primarily for the power that it represents." Maura lectured, seeming less offended.

"What a dick." Jane grumbled.

"Ooo, great paronomasia, Jane."

Jane frowned.

"It's a pun." Maura explained.

"Then why didn't you just say that?" Jane teased, pulling Maura into a headlock slash side-hug.

Maura was smiling now. "You know me. I enjoy being difficult."

"You sure do." Jane laughed. "Alright… now that we've established that we both had… those dreams… we can move on."

Both of the women sat in a hush, wishing the other would go first.

Maura turned to Jane and asked awkwardly, "Have you ever had intimate feelings toward a woman before?"

"No." Jane answered without missing a beat. "Never." Being a tough female in a male dominated field had always made her very sensitive to this topic. She'd been called a dyke a few too many times for her liking. "Have you?"

Maura thought about it for a minute. "Well… I believe that I have only pursued what society deems 'normal'. Females are raised and expected to marry a male and procreate. But- permission to use a scientific explanation?"

Jane rolled her eyes but nodded.

"Thank you. After some consideration, I determined that I would technically classify myself as pansexual. The prefix 'pan' comes from an Ancient Greek term meaning 'all' or 'every'. Essentially, the concept is gender-blindness. Sex is an extremely biological thing because our bodies react to stimuli regardless of masculinity or femininity. I have sex with men. My body reacts to stimulation of erogenous zones such as lips, neck, breasts, abdomen, and, well, the obvious," she pointed a finger down at her own body. Jane blushed. "Therefore, a woman is capable of stimulating all of those places as well. It's biological. It's scientifically natural, just not viewed that way. Does that make sense?"

Jane breathed in, opened her mouth to say something, but instead puffed out her cheeks and blew the air out slowly. In the back of her mind, Jane noted that Maura's rant had sort of turned her on.

_Uh… That's weird…_

"I know talking about sex makes you uncomfortable…" Maura said sympathetically.

Jane wiped her nose with the side of her index finger, pondering everything Maura had said.

Maura, not wanting to pressure Jane into speaking, continued on another tangent.

"Jane. As you know, I have significant deficiencies in my social interaction skills. I have a lot of problems relating to people, understanding them. I just want you to know that I understand you better than anyone else I have ever met. Well, anyone _alive, _anyway…" They shared a smile before she continued. "You make all of my relationship complexities and anxieties dissolve into nothing. We are so close. I have never shared this type of closeness with another human being. I can be myself around you and I love that _so much_." With those last words she took both of Jane's hands into her own and gazed deeply into her dark brown eyes.

Jane squeezed her hands and smiled sweetly. She was very close with Maura, but she had always known that Maura was better at opening herself up emotionally than Jane was.

_Pretty good for the socially retarded one… _she thought to herself.

Jane hated feeling vulnerable. Hell, her job description is being tough and callous.

Still, Jane realized that she was sitting on her bed with the only person in the world she could tell anything to.

"Maura. I think you are the only person that knows the real me, all of me. Though I don't quite understand you all the time, you are the most important person in my life." she began. Maura listened intently, her hazel eyes never leaving Jane's face. "I was very upset-maybe even devastated- when I first realized I was… attracted to you. It was… it _is_ very confusing and frustrating for me. I never, _ever _expected to act upon it until it happened at the party. That night… I- it just… took me completely by surprise. Obviously, I don't regret it," she paused, "Well, I take that back. I briefly regretted it considering how much alcohol was involved. I felt… I don't know, like I had taken advantage of you or something. Is that weird?"

Maura just shook her head, her usually flattened curls fluttering around her face.

"Then, the emotional rollercoaster from Hell… Frankie barging in, thinking my Ma was in the hospital, finding out Terance was still alive, your," she swallowed hard, her jaw tightening, "kidnapping… everything piled on and my first instinct was to save you. I blindly ran into a battle that almost killed both of us. But I was insane with fury, all of my police and detective skills were extinguished by the only thing that I cared about: making sure that you were safe. And, last night, _before _the shower curtain incident, I found myself… just drawn to you inexplicably. So there you have it," she concluded, throwing her hands into the air. "The emotional insights of Jane Rizzoli."

"Wow," Maura stated. "We've covered a lot!"

"Yeah" Jane agreed with a huge sigh of relief.

Maura's phone buzzed on the nightstand. She ignored it.

"Aren't you gonna get that?" Jane prodded.

"No, this is more important, we are in the middle of a very important discussion." Maura insisted.

"Maura, it could be work."

"I'm not the only medical examiner, Jane."

"I know, just, will you check please? It'll make me feel better."

"Fine." Maura sighed, grabbing her phone. She looked at the message. "Oh shoot! I do have to go to work. Nobody else is available."

"What is it? I'm coming with." Jane said as she got up to dress.

"No, I'm not telling you. You aren't supposed to go in yet. Please don't worry; Frost and Korsak have had everything under control without you."

"I hate that!"

"I know you do. Jane, sit back down."

Jane obeyed.

Maura kneeled on the bed in front of Jane.

"I am sorry that I have to leave. I feel like… we have some more to talk about… are you- do you feel…?"

"I… We should probably continue this later, I guess."

"Ok.. um…" Maura hesitated for a long time. "Jane? Can I… can I ask you for something before I leave?"

"Yes…?" Jane said, confused.

Maura licked her lips. "Can I… try to kiss you again? I just- I have been thinking about it a lot… since last night. I just wanted to try it wh-"

"Where Frankie can't burst in on us?" Jane finished her thought.

"Exactly." smiled Maura.

Jane did not verbally answer. Instead, she draped her arms over Maura's shoulders and shifted her body closer to the woman. Maura took the signal, put her hands delicately on the sides of Jane's face, and leaned in slowly, carefully connecting their slightly open lips in a sweet kiss. They both immediately wanted more. Jane moved her hands to Maura's rear end, pulling her into the space between her own legs. The pace and pressure of their contact increased. They were both kneeling on the bed, Maura's knees between Jane's. Jane scooted forward until she was straddling Maura's lower body and continued to run her tongue and lips over Maura's soft mouth. This time, Jane was the first to moan as Maura slid her hand up the front of her wife beater. Her fingers traced up her defined abs and smoothly continued up to her braless chest. Jane pulled somewhat powerfully on the back of Maura's hair, forcing her head back and exposing her neck. Jane's mouth sucked the sensitive skin there roughly and her hand slid down and clutched Maura between the legs. A gasp mixed with a moan escaped from Maura's mouth.

_Ring ring, ring ring. Ring ring, ring ring._

At the same exact time Maura screamed, "Shoot!" and Jane screamed,"Shit!"

They both froze, each of their chests heaving with breaths. Maura slowly extracted her hand from underneath Jane's shirt. Jane let Maura's hair untangle from her fingers. They were both trembling.

Finally, Jane tumbled backwards onto the bed with a loud growl, freeing Maura from her straddle. Maura exhaled deeply, gave Jane a _very _apologetic look and stood up slowly. She unwrinkled her dress as much as possible, while regaining enough composure to speak. Jane breathed heavily in the same position on the bed.

"I really… have to get down there." Maura reluctantly said. "Um, should I… come back here when I'm done?"

Jane looked at Maura like she was a complete idiot. "Uh, _yeah_!"


	13. Chapter 13

On her way to the house that she was called to, snippets of her morning kept creeping into her mind, and she smiled every time she thought about Jane. She ran parts of their conversation over in her head. She thought about how hard it must have been for Jane to open up to her like she had and she was proud of her.

She reveled in the memory of the intimate contact they had shared before she was called away.

She was still rather baffled by these new feelings, but she felt much more at ease after the talk that they had had. Whatever was happening between her and Jane, she knew that they could figure out together, and her fears of losing her best friend were completely gone.

The location of the victim was already bustling with officers and onlookers by the time Dr. Isle's arrived on the scene. She walked briskly, heels clicking, across the asphalt driveway leading up to a large white house. Police tape blocked the spectators from the front lawn of the residence, but they craned their necks to try to get a look at the body. Maura ducked under the tape, and approached the cluster of uniforms in discussion.

Looking past everyone, Maura saw that the victim was propped up against an oak tree in front of the house as if she were on display. Her red hair flowed down to obscure her face from view, and she was wearing an elegant black gown and high heels.

Detective Frost was standing nearby with Detective Korsak and they appeared impatient. Frost took out his cell phone, dialed a number, and turned his head as he put it to his ear.

He caught sight of Maura drawing near and hung up the phone. "There she is." he declared.

She strolled past them to assess the victim and said, "I'm sorry I'm late."

"That's alright," Korsak said, looking the doctor up and down. "Didn't you wear that dress yesterday?" he asked with a smirk. Both Detectives turned to accompany her to the body.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Dr. Isles is executing a classic 'walk of shame', don't you think, Korsak?" Frost joked.

Maura frowned and furrowed her brow, "What's a 'walk of shame'?"

Korsak, who was always more courteous than others around Maura, tried to explain it kindly. "It refers to people wearing the same outfit twice because they don't sleep at home because of their… night lives."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." Maura admitted, pulling on her purple latex gloves.

"It usually is implied that-" Korsak began.

"Somebody got laid!" Frost finished more offensively. Receiving a stern look from Maura, he sputtered, "Usually. That's what it usually… um… implies… it _is _a lovely dress though, wh- ok, we got a murder to solve, I'll shut up."

Maura crouched down to examine the woman. She swept the victim's hair away from her face and spotted something wrapped tightly around the woman's neck.

"Looks like ligature strangulation." she observed, sliding a finger between the object that was used and the dead woman's skin. She lightly pulled it away from the victim's neck, revealing a deep red line across her throat. "Some kind of a wire. It's wrapped around the circumference of her neck multiple times. Very tightly judging by the deep serration into her skin."

"Her I.D. was on her. We got a Louise Davonshire. 28 years old. This is her house, according to her license," Frost stated.

Maura took a sharp intake of breath and moaned sorrowfully. "Oh my God, I have never seen her up close before…"

"You know her?" Korsak inquired.

"Not personally, no, but she is famous. I have seen her in concert a handful of times. She's the concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Exceptional violinist. Oh, what a shame…"

"What is she doing being choked by a wire on her own front lawn?" asked Frost rhetorically.

Maura tugged at the wire again. "I just realized… This is one of the strings off a violin…"

"Well, we'll start by sweeping the house, looking for any signs of a forced entry or a struggle." Frost stated. "Let us know if you find anything else useful when you examine her back at the lab."

Maura nodded, and indicated to the team around her that she was ready for them to transport the body. She peeled off her gloves and began walking back to her car, when something caught her eye. Behind Louise's head, there were strange markings engraved into the bark of the tree. She let the men remove her body before bending down to examine it. She slipped a glove back on and ran her fingers over the letters that were carved into the wood:

_ladra morta_

She snapped a few pictures of it on her phone and walked to her car, deep in thought. She got in and drove to headquarters to investigate how and why one of the most talented musicians in the country was now deceased.

When she arrived in her working space, she prepared for the autopsy and waited for the body to be rolled in. She opened her computer and typed 'Lousie Davonshire' into a search engine, which yielded hundreds of results. She skimmed down the list of biographies and fan pages to find what she was looking for. She clicked on a link and a video popped up of a beautiful redheaded woman standing on a stage in front of a sea of other musicians. She raised her violin, placed it under her chin, and began to play Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61 with the orchestra. After watching her move in awe for a few minutes, Maura closed her eyes to listen. Fatigue from the lack of sleep she had gotten the night before was just hitting her now.

_Usually Jane brings me a cup of coffee… _she thought while sticking out her bottom lip.

The sound of the woman playing her virtuosic violin passages was briefly interrupted by the sound of that same woman being carted into her autopsy room. Maura kept her eyes shut, and didn't acknowledge whoever had delivered the body. Who ever it was, they must have been used to her strange behaviors because they completed their business without bothering her.

Maura remained seated with her eyes closed until the first movement of the piece had come to an end. She took a deep breath, and moved over to the body bag lying on her table. She unzipped it and began her examination. She began by untangling the violin string from the woman's neck. She placed it in a sealed bag, in case there were any prints to find. After a closer look at the wounds on the victim's throat, Maura noticed that along with the dried blood that had been drawn while the string was tightened, there was another substance present around the cuts. She swabbed the area, collecting the waxy buildup and placing it into another bag to be analyzed. Her examination continued in the normal fashion, she took careful notes, and hummed along with the second movement of the violin concerto. Before she knew it, the third movement was soon over, and the audience in the video gave a thunderous applause.

"Well, poor Louise, I'm sorry you'll never hear that again…" Maura told the corpse pityingly.

Even though Jane loathed being at home instead of at work, she took the opportunity to mull over everything that was going through her mind, particularly the events of that morning. She needed some time to process all of the new information that she had received in her conversation with Maura. Whenever she thought about Maura, it felt like her whole body lurched with excitement mixed with terror. She lay in bed for the entire morning, driving herself crazy with thoughts about her own feelings. One moment, she would think about Maura arching her back and moaning while she kissed her neck and Jane would smile and her heart would swell. The next moment those same thoughts brought her extreme guilt and embarrassment and she would physically shake her head, trying to rid herself of those images. She let this strange emotional rollercoaster ride continue on like that for hours.

A knock came at her door and she snapped out of her daze. She realized it was one' o'clock in the afternoon and she hadn't moved since Maura had left. She grudgingly dragged herself out of bed and shuffled to the door. She checked the peephole, not sure who she expected to see.

It was her mother.

Jane was not in the mood to deal with her mother in the state she was in, and considered not opening the door, but realized she had no choice.

Angela bustled in and began nagging right away. "What, you don't answer your phone anymore, Missy? What's the matter with you, you coulda been dead for all I know!"

Jane patted her legs, making it look like she was searching for her phone. "Sorry, Ma, I must have misplaced it somewhere around here."

"Did you hit your head when you fell into the tub last night?" Angela asked, placing the backside of her hand on her daughter's forehead. Jane slapped it away.

"You are lucky Dr. Isles was there, and stayed to take care of you. She does so much for this family. You could really learn a lot from her." Angela continued.

"Yeah, Ma, I'll work on that." Jane muttered. "Is there something that you want, or are you just here to tell me what a poor excuse for a daughter I am?"

Angela scolded her with a look. "That mouth of yours, no wonder you don't have a husband. I won't be around forever, you know. I want grandchildren!"

"And TJ is…?"

"Oh yeah… Well I want a _legitimate_ one, okay?"

"Ma." Jane warned.

"What! I just want my daughter to be happy!" Angela exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

Jane was about to state that she didn't need a man to make her happy, but she felt uncomfortable saying that considering her current Maura dilemma. Instead, she turned her back on her mother and said, "I'm not having this conversation with you." She stomped into the kitchen area and began to pour herself a bowl of cereal.

"Cereal for lunch, Jane?" Angela began to nag again.

Jane contorted her face into a scowl and angrily pointed at her mother with her spoon.

Angela put up her hands in surrender and clamped her mouth shut.

Jane munched on her breakfast-for-lunch in silence, then mumbled through a mouthful, "Would you mind taking Jo Friday out? She hasn't gone all day…"

Angela, uncharacteristically quiet, simply nodded and obeyed. Jane was pleased that her mother could tell how grumpy she was today. Not that she was ever overly cheerful when Queen of the Nag came for a visit…

She moped around for the rest of the day, waiting to hear from Maura.


	14. Chapter 14

****Please note: This next chapter is ****rated M****. Continue at your own discretion!****

Frost and Korsak shuffled into Maura's office while she was finishing up some paperwork. She rubbed her eyes, and looked at the clock. It was already past seven.

"So, here's what we've got so far," Frost explained, "We scoped out this chick's house. As far as we know, she didn't have any family, at least not any that live around here. We got access to her phone records, email, and bank statements and we were able to interview all of her neighbors. That's the good news. The bad news is, we weren't allowed to interrogate the musicians from the orchestra, and we won't get to until after this weekend."

"Yeah, we went down to Symphony Hall to do some questioning, but they locked us out. Something about a closed rehearsal. We talked to a representative that said the orchestra has a concert series this weekend, and we aren't allowed to interrupt until it's over. Musician's union at its finest work. Man, they sure are finicky people!"

"Hmm… Don't you think it's odd that they are continuing rehearsals like nothing has happened? I mean, look at this," Maura said, pulling up the Symphony Hall Event website. "The concert series performances are focused around Louise… She's the soloist in three of the pieces." She pointed them out.

"Well," Korsak replied, "I'm sure there are other violin players that can step in, aren't there?"

Maura made a doubtful face and shook her head, "I'm not sure…" She read off the list in front of her, "Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, Violin Sonata No.4 "The Devil's Trill" by Guiseppe Tartini… Schönberg 's Violin Concerto? These pieces are extremely complex and demanding, they would take months and months to prepare. I mean, Arnold Schönberg was famously quoted, 'I am delighted to add another unplayable work to the repertoire' when he completed that concerto. I would think they would have to pull those off the program pieces in these circumstances."

"That's interesting." Frost responded. "Anyway, we found a violin during our search. It was missing a string. We brought it in for analysis. We also found a drop of blood on the carpet in her study."

"Great, I will get those to the lab to analyze." Maura said, "Let me show you what I have so far." She walked them over to the cadaver in the other room. She pointed at the body as she spoke, "This woman was attacked from behind, judging by the angle that the cuts in her neck are displayed. Her attacker was either above her, or much taller than her. The tests I ran indicated that she had been dead about five hours from the time she was discovered, which puts her death at about 4 A.M. It is my best estimation that it took her assailant about 15 seconds to render her unconscious with the pressure to her carotid arteries." She walked to the victim's feet and uncovered them. "The bruising and this gash here on her legs indicates that she may have struggled against the attack and perhaps hit her legs on a hard object, which leads me to believe that she was not killed where we found her."

"There was a desk in the room right next to where we found the blood. Maybe that's where it happened," Frost recalled.

"That's possible," Maura nodded. "There were no prints or any kind of DNA on her other than her own. The killer was wearing gloves." She covered Louise up and then remembered something. "Oh! There is one more thing…." She reached into the pocket of her lab coat and retrieved her phone. "When her body was removed, I found something carved into the tree she was leaned up against." She showed them the photo.

They both looked at it, and then waited for Maura to translate, knowing how multilingual she is.

"_ladra morta,__" _she read with perfect pronunciation. "That's 'dead thief' in Italian."

"Well that'll certainly be helpful when we start to narrow down our suspects. I can't wait til these next two days are over and we can finally get to those damn musicians." Korsak remarked.

"That's almost one hundred people under on the suspect list, and that's just assuming it was someone in the orchestra." Maura sighed.

"We'll have lots of interrogating to do, but the great news is, Jane will be back with us by then!" declared Korsak gleefully. They all nodded in agreement. Maura's stomach fluttered just at the mention of her name.

"I think we've done all we can do tonight, don't you boys?" she inquired, desperately wanting to leave this place.

"I suppose so. We can really get down and dirty in this case once we have access to those musicians." Korsak agreed. He looked over at Maura, stopped in his tracks and added. "Is that a hickey on your neck Dr. Isles?"

Frost looked. Maura flushed, and they changed the subject.

"Who's up for a drink?" Frost said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yes, please." Korsak stated, turning to leave.

Maura wanted to be honest. "I should probably go check on Jane…"

"Ha! You ain't gettin' away that easy," Korsak declared, grabbing her by the arm. "We'll make Jane come with us!"

When they arrived at The Dirty Robber, they slid into a booth and ordered drinks. Scotch for Vince, rum and coke for Barry, and of course, wine for Maura.

"Great work today, we did all we could do with what we had to work with!" Korsak toasted. They all raised their glasses to the middle and clinked them together just when Jane walked into the bar.

"Can I interrupt this congregation of the dream-team?" Jane asked grumpily as she sauntered over.

"Dream-team minus one, I think you meant." Frost corrected her with a tip of his glass in her direction.

She plopped down in the booth next to Maura, who scrutinized her cautiously. Jane turned and raised her hand at a server, who brought her a beer without having to be told what she wanted. She guzzled half the bottle in one pull; heedless of the wide-eyed stares she was receiving from her companions and slammed it to the table.

Maura didn't know what to say. She usually had something to break silences, but she was too troubled by Jane's foul mood. She sat there silently, looking at the table. Frost and Korsak began rehashing the day, mostly for Jane's benefit. Jane listened and continued drinking, occasionally nodding. The two males were oblivious to Maura's discomfort, and when she didn't chime in, they told her parts of the story about the case, too.

Maura drifted farther into her own thoughts, starting to feel sick to her stomach.

_I don't understand what is going on with her. I am terrible at reading people's emotions to begin with but when she decides to act bipolar, what I am supposed to do with that? Did I do something wrong? Did my social malady mess up whatever I thought was going so well?_

She was dying to be anywhere but where she was.

She racked her brain, retracing everything that she had done and said today, from waking up in Jane's bed to sitting here silently next to her.

_I know I have seen her crabby before, I am just paranoid that I caused it. She gets grumpy a lot for a lot of stupid reasons. But we talk about everything together. Why must I be so unaware of what's going on?_

"Right, Maura?" Maura literally jumped at the mention of her name. Frost had been talking to her for who knows how long.

"Wha? I-I wasn't listening. Sorry?"

"I was just telling Jane about the concert song thingies you were telling us about, and how you thought they would cancel them if Louise wasn't there to perform them," Frost repeated.

"Oh, right. Yes." She ventured a look at Jane. She met her gaze, but only briefly.

They talked for a while longer, and Frost asked Jane what she did today.

"Absolutely nothing, and it made me feel like a piece of shit." Jane muttered taking another swig of beer.

Maura, not being able to handle the tension anymore, reached over and put a hand lovingly on Jane's shoulder. She shrugged it off.

Trying to lighten the mood, Frost said with a laugh, "Hey Jane, did you see that Maura has a hickey?"

Suddenly Jane said, "I think I'm going to head out. You guys have a good rest of your night." She tossed some money on the table and left.

Korsak and Frost exchanged glances, and one of them made a 'time of the month' crack.

Maura was shocked and began to weep.

"Excuse me," she said to the men. And she got up to leave.

"Yeesh. Women," Korsak muttered to Frost. "Can't live with 'em, can't-"

"THAT IS SUCH A CLICHÉ!" Maura came back to shriek over their heads, before storming off again. More than a few heads were turned by the outburst.

Neither Frost nor Korsak said another word or moved until they actually observed that both Jane and Maura's cars were nowhere to be seen.

Jane, still bad-tempered, got home and decided she desperately needed this day to be over. She stripped down to her bra and underwear, flopped into her bed and shut off the lights. She fooled herself into thinking she would be able to sleep, but her mind would never let that happen after what she had just done. She started shaking and tears began to stain her pillow.

Then, she heard a deafening bang that she could have sworn was a gunshot. She sat up straight and realized it was her front door crashing forcefully into the wall as it was thrown open. Another loud bang, and this time the walls shaking, told her that the door had been slammed shut again and high heels were clicking rapidly towards her room.

Her bedroom door flew open and struck the wall noisily, and there was Maura.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she screamed furiously.

Jane was frozen, a tear still lingering on her cheek.

Maura stepped closer and continued her tirade, almost hysterical. "You have no right to treat me that way, Jane! _No right_!"

Despair and panic etched across Jane's face, she couldn't find any words.

_Say something, you idiot. Say anything!_

Maura was quaking with rage. She let out an exasperated sob and spun around to disappear from the room. Jane dove across her bed and caught Maura by the wrist begging, "Maura! Maura! Please! I'm so sorry. Please, Maura! Don't leave! _Please!"_

Maura tried to pull away but Jane was too strong for her.

"Let go of me!" Maura howled. She took a swing at Jane's head with her free hand. Jane caught it and held onto it tightly, having both of Maura's wrists captured.

"Please, Maura! Maura, please! I'm sorry!" Jane pleaded desperately pulling Maura closer. She yanked on Maura's wrists forcing her forward onto her knees on Jane's mattress. "_Please!"_ She was bawling now. Maura cried silently, growing too weak to fight off Jane's brute force.

Jane tugged Maura even closer. They were both on their knees, face to face. The only thing that remained between them were Maura's captive wrists. Jane kissed her fiercely. "Please, Maura!" Jane cried out again before engulfing Maura's lips in another forceful kiss. Maura was breathing hard and still sobbing, but she returned Jane's advance with so much fervor and intensity that Jane released Maura's wrists abruptly and seized the back of Maura's head, entangling her fingers in her hair. Maura's newly freed hands found the small of Jane's back and dug her fingernails into it, causing Jane to cry out in pleasure and pain.

Jane's hands flew from Maura's hair to her ass, which she clutched roughly as she crushed their pelvises together. Maura unhooked Jane's bra with ease and it fell down her shoulders. She abandoned her tongue's persistent ambush on the inside of Jane's mouth and continued on one of Jane's breasts. As she licked and sucked on a nipple, she took hold of Jane behind her thighs and roughly forced her onto her back. Jane had just managed to unzip Maura's dress when she took both of Jane's wrists and pinned them firmly on the mattress above her head. She roughly kissed Jane's neck, and sucked on it making her yelp. After a few minutes, she shifted to hold both of Jane's hands with one of hers and reached down to Jane's panties, dug one finger beneath the waistband and tore them straight down the seam.

Maura returned her lips to Jane's, still confining her hands above. They moaned and breathed against each other, both of their tongues dancing in the other's mouth. Maura broke the kiss and, with her free hand, she deftly ripped her own dress over her head and straddled Jane with so much power, she felt an unexpected orgasm rip through her body. She gasped loudly, her body going ridged, her eyes on the ceiling. Jane used the opportunity to flip her over and drive herself on top of Maura, reversing their positions. Jane was completely naked and Maura only had a bra. Jane gripped the only article of clothing left in the equation and slid it down Maura's torso, snapping the straps right off.

This time, Jane straddled Maura and their wetness slid together smoothly. Maura was just recovering from her surprise orgasm, but her excitement was already swelling to the top again.

"Jane…" she softly moaned, a desperate plea. Jane lay on top of the other woman and kissed her while her hand went directly to the source of the heat between Maura's legs. She inserted two fingers in and understood from her whimper that she was doing the right thing. She pulsed in and out, going deeper with every thrust.

"Oh!" Maura cried.

It didn't take long until Maura screamed in ecstasy and clawed at Jane's back, convulsing in another round of sexual gratification. When the waves of pleasure subsided, Maura maintained the pace of everything by propelling herself onto the top again. They were both out of breath, but neither relented. Maura kissed Jane's skin over and over, traveling from her neck, to her breasts, to her tight abdomen and finally her clit. She teased lightly with the tip of her tongue, causing Jane to arch her back sharply and call out her name.

After teasing her for way too long, Jane became impatient and pushed Maura's head where she needed it to be. Maura's tongue finally obliged and she thrust it deep into Jane, moving in and out in circles. Jane was so close to climax; she grabbed the sheets in her fists and pulled hard. After a few moments of skating on the brink of orgasm, Maura pushed harder still and Jane came the hardest she ever had in her life.

Even after that, their pace never slowed. Everything was wet with sweat, among other things, and they persisted in their lovemaking.

They moved into a new position, sitting up with their legs wrapped around each other's torsos, their arms enveloping the other woman and sweet but urgent kisses burning on each other's faces. They thrust into one another, using fingers to aid when needed. Their pace quickened and it became apparent that they were both going to climax at the same time. They were both on the verge of finishing, locked eyes, and pushed each other over the edge for a synchronized conclusion.

Jane screamed, "Shit!" and Maura screamed, "Fuck!" at the exact same time.

The sun was rising as they collapsed into each other's arms and fell to the bed.

They panted and gasped there, their bodies still intertwined and they had the same thought.

_That. Was. Perfect._


	15. Chapter 15

Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli had, for lack of a better phrase, sexed each other into a coma. Over five hours of sexual bliss had finished with ten minutes of panting and gasping, bare extremities still entangled, followed by another five minutes of taking turns breathing things like, "Oh, my God." and "Holy Shit." By the time they began to snap out of their orgasm-induced trances, the sun was well up and light was spilling into the room and over their naked bodies, trembling and still gleaming with sweat.

They still hadn't moved since they collapsed after their last orgasms of the night—or rather, morning. Jane had ended up sprawled out with her arms tight around Maura, and her legs spread open on either side of her. Her hair was splayed out messily over a pillow. Maura had ended up with one arm underneath Jane, her head laid out on her chest, and her pelvis still wedged conveniently between Jane's legs. Their breathing finally returned to a normal speed when they began to shake off that euphoria haze.

They both heaved a giant sigh at the same time and they broke into peals of laughter. They remained in an embrace until they finally decided that they had regained the ability to speak.

"It's morning…" Maura lazily said with a scratchy voice.

Jane, whose voice was even lower and more gravelly than usual, replied, "I can't believe… that was…" Apparently she was still struggling with the speaking thing.

Maura moved far enough to see a clock, and shifted back to her spot nestled in Jane's arms and legs. "I'm going to take the day off of work," she groaned.

"Really?" Jane lifted her head to get a look at her friend. She yawned, "I have one more day off and then I am going back."

"I guess our current case is at a dead end until tomorrow, anyway," Maura muttered. "So you can get in on it, too."

Jane sat in silence for a very long time. She was deep in thought. Maura thought she might have fallen asleep until she finally spoke up. "Maura."

"Yes, Jane." Maura calmly waited.

"I'm really sorry I was such an asshole last night. I have no- absolutely no excuse for my actions… But I'd still like to try to explain myself."

Maura continued waiting.

"God, I can't even say it without me sounding like I'm trying to play the victim…" she tried to formulate her thoughts into words. "Yesterday was… just really hard for me… see? I just sound like I'm trying to justify what I did, I just-"

"Jane, just say what you have to say." Maura softly whispered.

"Ok well… we had our talk, which went… I don't know, pretty good, I guess. But I am still… really struggling with these… feelings. I get called a dyke a lot, you know?"

Maura shifted, but didn't say anything.

"I don't know, I just feel completely overwhelmed. Like I don't even know who I am anymore. I spent the day at home, away from work—which I hate—and all I did, all day, was think about you. And I drove myself crazy. And then my Ma came over and was all, 'you need a husband to make you happy' and I freaked out and I panicked and-" Jane tiled Maura's chin up so they could make eye contact. "I didn't know how to handle everything… So I guess it came out as… assholeish…ness. I feel so terrible, I felt so terrible last night. Until… well I'm just glad you came over to kick my ass back in shape." she finished, chuckling.

Maura laughed too. "I have a confession to make, too."

"Oh really, what's that?" Jane was intrigued.

"Okay, well, do you see that door over there?" she pointed at Jane's bedroom door.

"Uh, yeah?"

"It's- I broke it, sort of."

Jane bit her lip and laughed. "What?"

"Well let's consider it less that the door is broken, and more that the doorknob is embedded into the drywall." Maura said, nodding in a matter-of-fact way.

"Are you serious?" Jane asked, thinking this might be one of Maura's famous, not-so-funny, funny jokes.

"Dead serious." Maura made an adorable attempt at making a stern face.

Truly becoming somber, Jane murmured gently, "I have never seen you so… _furious_…as you were last night. I was honestly terrified. I have never been more ashamed or-or-or…" Jane trailed off. Complete misery was all that was displayed on her face.

Maura frowned. "I lost it. I… went completely insane… I can only describe it as a blind rage. Fury just overflowed and I couldn't control myself. I _was _furious. But I think it's safe to say that I forgave you. Even though I broke something…"

"I hope you know you're gonna pay for that!" Jane joked, pointing towards the wall that had a gaping hole in it.

"Oh, I can fix it for you. I know quite a bit about spackling and… plaster…"

"You just know everything, don't you, Doctor?"

She shook her head. "No, not everything." she rolled around so her bare chest was hovering over Jane's and she was gazed into her eyes. "I didn't know what I was going to do when I burst into here to confront you last night. I came to scream at you, but I did _not_ expect what actually happened to occur." She smiled sweetly and stroked her hand tenderly against the other woman's cheek. "But, Jane. It was… _amazing._"

Jane framed Maura's face by placing both of her hands on either side of it.

"It was so wonderful." she whispered and pulled Maura's face to hers. They shared their first, truly intimate kiss that wasn't driven by pure lust. Maura leaned her body against Jane's, their chests pushing together and she could feel her own heartbeat thumping in union with Jane's.

Maura broke the kiss to tell her that Jane's heart was beating at in increased rate.

Jane smiled through fresh tears and merely croaked, "It's scared."

Maura gave her a sympathetic look, rested her head against Jane's breasts and sighed deeply. Jane wrapped her arms around her tighter, tears falling out of the corners of her eyes and they peacefully drifted off to sleep together.


	16. Chapter 16

Loud pounding on the door to her apartment woke Jane up. She groggily looked down at Maura and saw that she was still sleeping soundly. She stretched lazily, not in any hurry to leave the silky, warm body enveloping her. Maura stirred when she felt Jane moving. She cooed softly, eventually squinting up at Jane. The person knocked again.

"Hi." Maura murmured. She lightly traced her fingers across Jane's chest, between her breasts, and down her abdomen and leaned in to kiss her.

Jane accepted the kiss but snatched Maura's hand just before it traveled below her waist. "I have to go answer the door, you can't toy with me, Maura."

Maura raised her eyebrows at her and grinned. She was delighted that she had that strong of an effect on her. Unfortunately for Jane, telling her to stop resulted in the exact opposite. Maura rolled over on top of Jane and began kissing her neck, her wandering hands doing what they were told not to do. Jane couldn't get enough; she took great pleasure in the sensations she was getting. She ran her hands through Maura's hair as the other woman continued placing fiery kisses along her skin, traveling steadily down her body.

What would have been a very erotic moment evolved into panic as Maura looked up from what she was doing and whispered harshly, "Keys in the door, keys in the door, _I hear keys in the door_!" She rolled off the bed with a thud, taking the covers with her. Jane catapulted off the bed and into her walk-in closet as Angela Rizzoli's voice rang in the front hallway, "Jane? I let myself in, I hope that's ok!"

Jane emerged dressed in a robe and threw Maura's dress toward her, completely missing her mark. She motioned something frantically that Maura couldn't interpret. Angela strolled into Jane's bedroom as Maura tried to decide what to do. She went with tucking and rolling under the bed so Jane's mother wouldn't see her lying naked behind Jane's bed.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, your room is an absolute _mess_! This is disgusting, look at your bed it's all torn apart and-" Angela let out a huge gasp and Maura froze. "What happened to your wall? There's a big hole in it! Have you seen that, Jane?"

"Ma. Ma… Ma! I know, I know. Just please, don't- you can't barge in here like this. Get out!"

Angela seemed to ignore her. Maura could see her feet from her hiding place. Jane kept trying to get her to leave, with no avail.

"What is _this?!" _Angela exclaimed walking closer to the bed. Maura saw her lean down and pick up a pair of panties; the panties that Maura had literally ripped off of Jane the night before. "They're ripped, Jane! What happened? What is this?"

Maura stifled a laugh.

Jane snatched the torn underwear from her mother, growling, "Ma! OUT!" She started shoving her out of her room forcefully. She tried to slam her bedroom door, but the doorknob was still deeply embedded into the wall.

"I'll cook you some lunch," Angela called from the kitchen.

Jane rolled her eyes and groaned. "Okay, whatever, Ma." She quickly picked up the dress that had only made it halfway across the room and shoved it under the bed. Maura slipped it on and grabbed Jane's hand who pulled her out from her hiding place.

"You really need to clean under your bed more often," she hissed, wiping dust off her dress and hair. "Loose debris and dust clumps make exceptional habitats for dust mites and other parasites."

Jane just smirked and zipped up the back of Maura's dress, patting her lightly on her butt to remove the dust. "Come on, you filthy woman. Let's go spend some time with Miss Nags-a-Lot Rizzoli."

"Wait," Maura whispered. She flipped the collar of Jane's robe higher onto her neck, covering something.

"What is it," Jane asked, alarmed. "A hickey?"

"Um, not quite…" Maura said with an embarrassed smile. "Bite marks."

Jane gaped at Maura with a mixture of disbelief and approval.

They walked into the kitchen and sat at the counter. Angela, cooking at the stove, turned and said, "Oh, hi, Maura, where'd you come from? I didn't realize you were here. Would you like a grilled cheese sandwich, too?"

Maura was about to decline when her stomach let out an audible grumble. "Yes, actually, thank you very much."

"No problem!" Angela laughed, as she slid a plate in front of Jane, who immediately began munching on the sandwich ravenously. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nobody's gonna steal that away from you. Slow down!"

Jane looked up, her cheeks stuffed with food, and indistinctly mumbled, "I'm hungry!"

"Have some manners, young lady!" Angela badgered. "Sometimes I wish she was as polite as you, Dr. Isles," she added as she placed a plate of food and a glass of juice in front of her.

Maura smiled, picked up her sandwich delicately and took a bite. "Mmm, that's delicious. Yum."

Jane popped the rest of her lunch into her mouth and drummed her hands on the countertop. "So, Ma, to what do I owe the pleasure of two visits in two days?"

"I worry about you! I need to make sure that my daughter is all right. And judging by the look of you both times, you aren't taking very good care of yourself," she took Jane's chin in her hand to scrutinize her closely. "You look terrible! Have you been sleeping?"

Jane pulled away and ignored her question. "I think what you _need_ is a hobby."

Angela clicked her tongue and went to the sink, clunking around as she cleaned the dishes. She began ranting about how much more important her families well being was than useless hobbies.

While her mother's back was turned, Jane leaned over to Maura and whispered, "How come I look like crap and you still look flawless when we both stayed up all night?"

Maura silently laughed, shrugged and took another bite.

"… and it isn't a crime to want my own child to be healthy and safe…" Angela was still rambling.

Maura finished her lunch, wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin, and picked up her glass of juice to take a drink.

Angela came back to face them across the counter and looked at Jane. "Anyway, guess what? I found your future husband!"

Maura choked on her drink and coughed violently. Jane stared at her mother wide-eyed. "My… husband?"

"Yes! He is perfect for you! My friend from my knitting group has a son, and he is the most handsome man I have ever met. He's charming, smart, and so successful! He is a leading software engineer and he loves sports! His name is Colin Murphy and he is really interested in meeting you, Jane. I have talked you up a lot." she said with a wink.

Jane was stunned and stammered, "Ma, I- I don't need you fixing me up with- why do you talk to strangers about me that is so- _why_?"

"Are you okay?" Angela asked Maura who was still struggling to breathe.

"Yes," Maura gasped between coughs, "Pulmonary aspiration."

Jane and Angela looked at her with a mixture of concern and confusion.

After a few more seconds of labored breathing, she was able to reiterate in laymen terms, "Wrong tube…"

Angela resumed her assault. "Jane, I think you should meet him. He is so wonderful; he could definitely be 'the one'."

Jane groaned and rubbed her temples.

"And, let's face it, when was the last time you had any action in your love life?" Angela muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Holy shit, Ma!" Jane exclaimed, jumping to her feet and knocking her chair over backwards. "That is _so _not any of your business!"

Uncomfortable, Maura got up to leave the room, when Angela brought her into the conversation.

"Maura, don't you think Jane should just give the guy a chance? Help me to convince her to meet him!"

"Oh! Uh-um" Maura stuttered, "I- that's um… really a decision that is up to Jane, I think…" She went to sit on the couch where she could remain out of the way.

"I just don't understand why you won't even meet the guy. You won't know if you like him if you won't give him a chance!"

Jane said nothing with her mouth, but her eyes were shooting daggers.

Angela softened and said, "I just want you to be happy. I think you're lonely sometimes, and you work too much to have a social life. I just wanted to help you out to make things easier for you. Just please, for me, meet him. That's all I ask!" She was begging with her hands clasped beneath her chin.

"I'm not goin' out on a date with a stranger!" Jane argued.

"How about at a group function? You can just meet him and then decide if you think he would be worth-"

"Ma! Please stop."

Angela pouted and finally relented, muttering, "Fine, don't listen to your mother." She kissed her daughter on the forehead "I'll get out of your hair." She walked to the door.

Jane sighed. She always felt bad for fighting with her mom, even after winning the argument. "Ma. Thanks for looking out for me. Even though I hate when you butt into my life, "she said with gritted teeth, "I appreciate that you care."

Angela paused in the doorway, smiled and said, "It's my job." And left.

When the door closed behind her, Jane walked over to Maura and pointed back where her mother had just been. "Can you believe her?"

"Well, it's not far from typical behavior from her… I can't say I'm surprised," Maura admitted. She paused and then cautiously ventured, "Jane, are you interested in meeting him?"

"No. I'm not." Jane ensured her. She took a seat next to her on the couch.

"As long as you're sure… I don't want you to miss out on anything if…" Maura trailed off.

"Maura, I don't know what I want right now… but I know it's not that."

"This is so bizarre." Maura murmured shaking her head. "I'm normally the person advocating for you to go on dates with men."

Jane chuckled and rested her head on Maura's shoulder. "That is pretty weird."

"I mean, our entire relationship has transformed into something entirely different in the matter of a couple days… And we haven't even identified what it is that is happening between us." Maura said. She turned her body to face Jane and continued, "My world is upside-down, and the only thing I know for certain is how happy I am when I'm around you."

Jane tilted her head to the side and looked at her compassionately.

"You are my best friend, Jane. Possibly my only friend. I… this is really hard for me."

Jane took her hand, pressed it to heart and uttered, "This is hard for me, too. I've lost my identity. I don't know who I am. I've always felt so close to you. I didn't think it was possible to feel closer, but last night? Last night was the most phenomenal experience I have ever had. It was like… I've never been attracted to a woman, and I've never thought of sleeping with one, but last night felt so right. I didn't even have to think about it. It all just happened." Jane broke her eye contact and added in a hushed tone. "You were… Maura, you were so _good._" She bit her lip and looked back at Maura.

Maura beamed. "You were much better than good." She lowered her voice to a sultry tone. "Did you know… we had sex for over five hours?"

Jane's muscles tensed as a chill coursed through her, and her breathing became rapid. "Yes..." was all she could utter, barely a whisper.

Maura licked her lips and shifted her body up against Jane's. She placed one hand behind Jane's back and the other under her jaw line. She bent in and whispered in her ear, "Did you know… you brought me to orgasm merely by kissing me?"

Jane became embarrassed, but Maura could see she was also feeling a little proud.

Maura kissed her ear. "Did you know… I think you are the sexiest person I have ever met?"

Jane was trembling now, her breaths coming out in ragged bursts. Maura skimmed her lips along her jaw line and slid one of her hands into Jane's robe. Her fingers traveled across her skin and down her front, causing Jane to gasp and quiver.

"Ohh, Jane…" Maura breathed against Jane's throat as she reached between her legs. "You're so wet."

Jane whimpered and clutched the cushion beneath her firmly as Maura smoothly slipped her finger inside her and nipped at her collarbone. She spread her legs wider and a faint "oh" escaped from her lips when Maura took full advantage of the access she was given. Jane was throbbing with anticipation, but the other woman was taking her time, enjoying the reactions she was drawing out of her. She massaged her sweet spot gently, driving Jane insane with desire.

Jane suffered the agony of being tantalized for longer than Maura expected. Jane took Maura's head between her hands and kissed her powerfully, moaning into her mouth, quietly at first, then much louder as Maura's pressure increased.

After a few more minutes, they were both breathing heavily and their kisses became more insistent.

"Maura. Oh my God, you have to do it. Fuck me. Please. Do it now!" Jane hollered, unable to cope with the waiting any longer. "Maura!"

Maura flung her leg over Jane's body to straddle her and thrust deeply into Jane resulting in a strangled yell. She used her body weight to force herself in and out of Jane, whose head flew back to the back of the couch.

"Maura. Ohh, Maura. I'm so close." Jane moaned.

Maura was panting with exertion as she continued to work into Jane, her gorgeous locks of hair bouncing around her face.

Jane reached her hands to Maura's ass, assisting her as she thrust and she spread her legs even wider and pointed her toes.

"Oh, _fuck_, Maura," she bellowed.

Maura propelled herself into her faster and harder until she felt Jane's body go stiff, her hoarse voice calling out her name.

"Ahh!" Jane exclaimed as her orgasm rushed through her body. Maura kept herself moving in and out until Jane's spasms subsided.

They breathed together rapidly as Maura extracted her hand from Jane's robe. She put both of her hands on Jane's face and kissed her passionately.

"Fuck, Maura." Jane muttered, still recovering. She covered her eyes with her fists and shouted to the heavens, "God damnit, that was fucking incredible!"

Maura laughed and continued kissing her face and neck.

Jane finally snapped out of her reverie, and took Maura completely off guard by standing up with her still on her lap, lifting her, and setting her roughly down on the carpet in front of the couch. Maura giggled and squealed through the entire motion, but didn't have much time to react before Jane was on top of her, laying between her legs and running her hands all over her body.

Maura was already so aroused, she knew it wouldn't take much to get her off. After a few minutes of making out on the floor, Jane's hot lips traveled south until she was kissing Maura's tummy. She eagerly tugged Maura's dress up and her head disappeared underneath it, her wild dark curls still peeking out.

Maura moaned noisily as Jane's tongue made contact with her clit. She arched her back with elation and widened the space between her legs.

Jane used her tongue to probe deep into Maura, alternating between that and making light circles on her clit.

Maura quite obviously loved it, making a colorful array of attractive noises.

Jane had originally wanted to tease Maura; she wanted to hold out on her for pay back, but she became to enthusiastic and before she knew it, Maura was writhing with pleasure and calling out Jane's name in ecstasy.

Jane emerged from under the dress and rested her head on Maura's lower abdomen, watching her chest heave and her head roll back as her orgasm continued.

Both of them were entirely satisfied by these events, and they lay on the floor together for several minutes, basking in the magnificence of yet another very triumphant sexual expedition.


	17. Chapter 17

Jane stood up and looked down at Maura still resting on her back. She wordlessly offered her hands to her to hoist her to her feet. Once she was standing upright, Maura let out a breath and sighed, "Woo!" while brushing her hair out of her face and smiling at Jane. Jane smiled back.

"Well that was fun," Maura stated while sauntering into the kitchen. She poured a tall glass of water and took a large gulp. Jane went to join her, finding herself tremendously thirsty as well. She guzzled a glass of water and smiled playfully at Maura.

Maura leaned against the counter, keeping her eyes on Jane's face, and asked, "Are you proud of what you are capable of doing to me?"

Jane looked down at the ground with a half smile and admitted, "Sorta."

"You should be. My body reacts incredibly powerfully to your touch. It's like you can read my mind and move exactly where I need you. I've never been so sexually fulfilled, with any man." Maura gushed.

Jane felt a strange mixture of satisfaction and shame. This whole 'fucking your best friend' thing was freaking her out big time, but she couldn't even try to deny the fact that she loved it vehemently. Part of her detested how much she enjoyed it, but she knew there was no going back now. They had crossed a line that catapulted them out of friendship and into something much more. Jane would have hated herself and the situation a lot more if Maura hadn't been equally as talented at reading her body and giving her these mind-blowing orgasms.

She shoved her negative thoughts about herself and their fragile position out of her mind for the moment. She swallowed and allowed herself to smile and confess her feelings to Maura.

"Me, neither, Maura. No man has ever been able to… make me scream the way you can." It was an extremely hard thing for Jane to say. She was always uncomfortable talking about sex, and this was sex with a _woman_. She was so frightened, but she said it, and she didn't regret it.

Maura actually blushed and it was her turn to feel embarrassed. It was extremely peculiar hearing those words coming from her best friend. Her typically overactive mind was stumped by this new and strange relationship. She found herself sifting through the multitudes of facts and studies that were catalogued in her brain, desperately attempting to find some way to explain what was going on. Her scientific mind was overwhelmed for the first time she could recall and, for once, she could not explain her feelings with biology, neurotransmitters, or any other technical jargon that crowded her brain. And it was horribly frustrating for her.

Both of them were internally striving to understand themselves and these fresh new feelings toward their female best friend. They had always known that they loved each other as friends. Everything was now so blurred, but there was no way to refute the fact that they were both the happiest they had ever been in their lives.

Their eyes met, and somehow they knew that they were both thinking the same thing: their unexplainable connection was shrouded with uncertainty, but excitement buzzed between them almost visibly.

They drew each other into an embrace not unlike the countless that they had shared over the past five years of their friendship. It was the kind of hug that simply said:

"I will always be here for you."

Maura had a massive issue with the fact that she was wearing the same dress for the _third_ day in a row, unheard of behavior for Dr. Isles. She decided that she definitely needed to travel to her house to freshen up.

"I also have abandoned my dear Bass for the past few days," Maura whined, "What a terrible mother I am."

Jane didn't want her to leave, but she kept her mouth shut.

Maura walked to the door, turned and said, "So… I guess I'll see you later?"

Jane gave Maura her signature look; head tilted to the side, half a smile, and her eyebrows coming together over her deep brown eyes. "Yeah." she whispered.

Maura paused, the corners of her lips twitched, and then she turned and left her apartment.

When the door closed, Jane slapped herself in the forehead and smiled to herself.

It was about three in the afternoon, and she took some time to shower and change.

"Come on, Jo Friday, I bet you've really gotta go!" she commented to her dog, and she grabbed her leash to take her outside.

While standing on the sidewalk and waiting for Jo to finish her business, Jane looked at her phone. She had received a few missed calls from her mother from before her surprise visit, and messages from Frankie, Frost, and Korsak.

**Frankie: Hey Sis, just a warning. Ma is on a rampage cause you haven't returned any of your phone calls. Let's get together for a drink soon. I haven't seen you for a few days.**

**Frost: Hey partner, hope you're doin' ok. I'm sorry if I upset you while we were drinking last night. Can't wait to have you back on my team tomorrow. Peace.**

**Korsak: Jane, I know how stressed out you get when you are off the job. We will get you all back up to speed tomorrow morning and you will be back to kicking butt and taking names. Spend some time with Jo Friday, animals are good at cheering people up! :)**

Jane smiled at the texts, but didn't feel like responding to them. She pocketed her phone and let her mind wander through the events over the last few days. Coming home from the hospital to a party. Her surprise encounter with Maura in the bathroom. She laughed to herself when she remembered flying backwards into the shower when Frankie burst in on them. She thought about waking up with Maura and having the awkward conversation about their sex dreams. The awful, lonely day she had spent at home when Maura went to work. The way her mother pissed her off with her nagging. She cringed at the memory of the appalling way she had treated Maura at the Dirty Robber. The terrifying way Maura had stormed into her room and screamed at her. Then, the incredible night of passion they spent together. Maura's fury and Jane's anguish had made it unbelievably frantic and overpowering. Then, that last memory captivated her mind, and she replayed it in her head over and over.

At her house, Maura immediately tended to the needs of her tortoise, spreading out various types of greenery in front of his wrinkly face. She lovingly patted him on top of his shell, cooing, "I'm sorry I left you for so long, Bass. I've been really busy for the past couple of days. Do you forgive me, buddy?"

Bass answered by leisurely stretching out his neck and nibbling on a leaf.

"Okay, good." she murmured.

She knew Jane would have something mean and sarcastic to say if she saw her having a conversation with her pet.

Next, she went into her bathroom, stripped, and took a long, hot shower.

_I have had sex twice in the last 24 hours_, she thought as she cleansed her body with soap. She actually hadn't had sex for a few months before last night. _And it was the best sex of my life, no less._

She played through those sexual encounters like a movie in her head. Remembering the sounds, the sensations, the emotions. The hot water trickled down her skin. The thoughts she was having about Jane, mixed with the heat and the tactile caress of own skin provoked an abrupt arousal.

_My goodness, my libido is insatiable, _Maura thought to herself as her desire mounted. _I am exhibiting signs of hypersexuality._

Another flash of Jane's naked body and deep, sultry voice appeared into her imagination, and her impulses kicked in. Craving a release, she ran her hands down the front of her body and rubbed herself, finding it doubly wet down there from the shower. She massaged her sensitive tissues, lifting her chin up and closing her eyes. She began panting as she grew more excited and let out a barely audible moan. She pressed harder into herself and set her feet apart a little wider. She found a rhythm that suited her yearning urges and held her breath as she worked her fingers inside her body with agility. She kept escalading until she was on the plateau right before climax. She drove a little deeper and arrived at what she was striving for. As she came, she puffed out the breath she had been holding and gasped in and out quickly. The hot stream of water continued to run over her face and body as she allowed her muscles to relax and her breathing to return to normal.

When she stepped out of the shower, she wrapped herself in a cotton robe and went to lie on her bed. She turned on the small television set that she had on her dresser and flipped the channel to the 5'o'clock news.

Just as she expected, there was a story about Louise Davonshire's murder. The anchorwoman covering the story was just starting to speak about it after a fluff piece about a cat that liked to swim in pools. She reported:

"One of Boston's most beloved entertainers lost her life early yesterday morning. Louise Davonshire, a 28-year-old violinist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was found dead by a paperboy delivering newspapers. Sources are saying that her body was found in her own front yard. Details of her injuries and exact cause of death have not been revealed to us; however, witnesses who were at the crime scene have indicated that she was in fact murdered."

An older lady came onto the screen. It was one of her neighbors being interviewed:

"She was just… one of the nicest girls I've ever met. She gave a lot to our community. I don't know who would've wanted to hurt her. But it seems like, even in a nice neighborhood like this, you can never be too careful."

The camera cut back to the news anchor:

"The Boston Police Department arrived on the scene and began investigating yesterday. They have not issued any public statements pertaining to the case yet. As far as we know, there are no suspects in custody yet. We believe that the Boston Homicide Unit will be putting their best personnel on a high profile case such as this. When reached for comment, the department declared they had no statement at this time."

A clip of Louise performing came up and Maura listened to her impeccable playing with a sad smile.

The news then cut to a man, the label beneath his face indicating he was the BSO spokesperson:

"It is a terrible tragedy, losing as talented a musician as Miss Davonshire was. The entire orchestra is mourning the loss of a great player and a leader. The timing, of course, was the worst, seeing as this weekend was the Fall Concert Series. The BSO had a performance last night, and they have another tonight. Everyone's just trying to get through it despite the great loss they've suffered. The show must go on."

Back to the anchorwoman:

"The other musicians and conductor of the orchestra were unavailable for comment due to their rigorous rehearsal and concert schedule. Hopefully, more on this case will be revealed in the next few days. For updates on this story, make sure to join us back here at Channel 5 Boston News and-"

Maura switched off the T.V.

_Well, we'll surely find out much more tomorrow morning._

Her fatigue from only getting three hours of sleep that morning finally hit her full force. She didn't even bother changing out of her robe; she just slipped under her covers, turned out the light and fell asleep almost instantly.

Jane, getting back to her room after walking Jo Friday, had an urge to call Maura to see if she wanted to get a drink. She still couldn't get her out of her mind. She deliberated for quite some time, but finally convinced herself to leave her alone, mostly with her horribly insecure side telling her that Maura had had enough of her over the last few days. Feeling lonesome, she crawled into bed and exhaustion washed over her like an ocean wave. She fell asleep thinking about Maura. And the fact that she got to go back to work the next day.

But mostly Maura.


	18. Chapter 18

Jane woke up much earlier than she needed to, mostly because she had gone to sleep at 6pm the evening before. She decided to get out of her apartment and head down to the office to catch herself up on the Boston Symphony Orchestra case. There were people milling around, but neither her partner nor former partner were there yet. She ruffled through the files that had piled up, paging through photos of the crime scene, and Maura's initial autopsy report. She scribbled her thoughts into a small notebook, marking things that stood out to her detective eye. She worked fervently, so grateful to be back to doing what she did best.

"Welcome back, Rizzoli." a voice said, snapping her out of her concentration. She looked up to see Lieutenant Cavanaugh standing above her. He extended his hand and she gruffly shook it as he added, "You got a busy day today ahead of you. Ninety-eight musician's alibis to verify. Bring me your list of suspects by the end of the day, alright, Rizzoli?"

That's what Jane loved the most about her boss; no bullshit, straight back to business, no dwelling on her past mistakes. She appreciated that profoundly.

"Yes, sir," she answered, "We'll get it done."

"You always do," he said with a nod, and left the room.

Jane resumed pouring over her work for another half hour, until Frost walked in and interrupted, "There's my girl!"

Jane gaped at him in disbelief, "You're _girl_?"

Frost grinned and stuck his hands in the air, "Hey, I'm just glad to have you back, okay, Crankypants?"

"Yeah, well let's just get back to business, we got ourselves a murder to solve." she muttered in her raspy voice.

"Alright then," he begin again, "I got some reports back from the lab." He tossed the file onto her desk as he flattened his tie and sat on his chair across from her. "The blood stain we found in Louise's house was hers. We recovered no prints on her body or in her house. The violin we found had only her prints on it."

"And you think the string that killed her came from that violin?" Jane asked.

"That's what we're assuming. No prints on that either, attacker was wearing gloves. There were no signs of a forced entry, though."

"I bet it was someone she knew." Jane said thoughtfully. "What about this?" she asked, holding up the picture of the tree etching.

"Dr. Isles discovered it behind the victim. Translates to 'dead thief'. We're looking for someone who might think they had something stolen by Louise."

Jane nodded. "Alright, well how we doin' on interrogations?"

"Korsak has been busy this morning. Most of the orchestra was at a pre-performance party at a hotel downtown. We were able to track the members that were in attendance and monitor who stayed at the hotel. Luckily for us, ninety-four out of the ninety-eight spent the night at the hotel without ever leaving. These are really tight knit people. Solid alibis."

"That's great, how about the rest?" Jane inquired, squinting her eyes.

"We're working on getting them in. We have one waiting for us downstairs right now. Three of them are Boston residents. As for the fourth, we have yet to get in contact with him."

"Well, who's the fourth?"

"His name is Osvaldo Lombardi. Apparently he is the guest conductor in residence. In town from Palermo, Italy working with the orchestra for the last six months. We checked his flight records, and he hasn't left town yet. No one can seem to tell us where he is. We have uniforms surveying the hotel he's been staying at to monitor for any activity." Frost relayed. After a pause he added, "Louise had no family. But she did have a good friend. Shannon Campbell. They went to the same music conservatory together _and _were both accepted into the BSO last year. This woman had no life outside of that orchestra. I have a feeling whoever did this to her was one of these people."

Jane laced her fingers and cracked her knuckles dramatically. "Alright, let's get this done!"

They met Korsak down near the interrogation room.

"Who we got first?" Jane asked him.

"Welcome back, Jane!" Korsak beamed, ignoring her question.

"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Jane said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

"Alright, alright. This is Shannon Campbell, Louise's close friend. She's a little emotional. Wanna take the lead, Jane?"

Jane smirked, wordlessly snatched the file from Korsak's hand and opened the door to the interrogation room. Korsak followed and Frost departed to continue researching email and credit accounts.

"Hello Miss Campbell, I'm Detective Rizzoli," Jane began as she sat across from Shannon. The woman was in her late twenties. She had dirty blond hair and beautiful blue eyes that were spouting tears. "I'm gonna need you to tell me where you were Friday night and Saturday morning."

"You don't think I did anything to hurt her, do you?" the woman cried.

"We're questioning every member of the orchestra that didn't attend the party at the hotel that night. Now please answer my question."

Shannon swallowed and said, "I was at home, resting. I was coming down with something, a cold, and I needed to be healthy for the concerts. I play the flute, so I needed to be able to breathe." She sobbed into her hands for a minute, not being able to control her tears.

"You seem pretty upset now, how did you make it through two days of concerts after learning about your friend's death?" Jane pressed.

Shannon looked up at her with tears streaming from her eyes, "It's my _job_ to perform. My only income comes from that orchestra. I had to push through this weekend…"

"Any idea why they didn't just postpone the concerts?" Korsak asked.

"I… I don't know," Shannon thought about it. "Our guest conductor was supposed to leave town after the concerts, maybe they had invested too much in him to let him go to waste."

"Were you and Louise having any problems? Any fights or disagreements?" Korsak asked.

"No. We've been best friends for over ten years. We never fought about anything. She was like family to my husband and I… "

"Tell us a little bit about your husband. What's his name?" Jane prompted.

"Maxwell Campbell. He's also a member of BSO; he's a cellist. But he's been out of town for the last few weeks. He's had a sub for his seat while he's been on a solo tour."

"Did Louise tell you anything about her life that would indicate she might have been in trouble? Did she ever change or show any sign of distress?" Korsak continued.

"She was very nervous about this concert series. She had three demanding solos that she was working on at a time, that's extremely stressful for any musician. She practiced day and night." Shannon recalled.

"Did Miss Davonshire have any enemies, anyone that would have wanted to hurt her?" Jane questioned.

"Um. I know that… she had a rival. Elena Martin. She auditioned at the same time as Louise for Concertmaster. Louise got the position and-and Elena got second chair. That was a year ago, but I think Elena always had hard feelings about it."

"Alright, thank you for your time. We'll contact you if we need to ask anything else," Jane told her, she got up to leave, turned back and murmured, "I'm sorry for your loss."

She turned to Korsak when they had left the room and asked, "What do you think?"

"She seemed genuine, but I think we'll keep an eye on her anyway. We do have to check out this Elena woman for sure. That whole 'dead thief' thing could've been in reference to something like a spot in an orchestra. "

"Would someone really kill someone over a Concertma- hold on, what even _is _a Concertmaster?" Jane asked.

"It's the highest rank in the orchestra. Very prestigious position." Korsak stated.

"Wha- how would you know?" Jane said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Korsak shrugged, "I took band in high school." When Jane only stared at him he added, "I played clarinet!"

"Wonderful!" Jane cheered sarcastically, then her fake smile turned into a frown. "Let's get Elena in here."

Meanwhile, Maura arrived at the Division I Café at the station. She got an incredibly good night's rest, and didn't need any caffeine; she just wanted to inconspicuously run into Jane. Instead, she ran into Frankie.

"Oh, morning, Maura," he greeted her. "How have you been?"

"Hi Frankie," she returned, "I'm in a great mood, actually."

"That's good." Frankie said, and then lowered his voice, "Hey, have you talked to Jane lately?"

"Yes, but not today…" she told him. She tilted her head to the side adding, "Why? What's the matter?"

"I was just a little worried about her. She hasn't been talking to me much over the last few days and Ma said she's been pretty grouchy when she's seen her."

"When is she _not_ grouchy when Angela visits?" Maura asked with a smirk.

Frankie chuckled, "Yeah, that's true. But Korsak and Frost were telling me how bad-tempered she was at the Robber two nights ago." He hesitated then carefully added, "They actually said you both were actin' kinda funny…"

Maura opened her mouth to answer, unsure what she would say, but was cut of by a gruff voice behind the counter.

"Ya gonna buy somethin', Doctor? Or just stand there blocking the door for my other customers."

Maura looked over at Stanley's frowning face, then at the deserted entrance to the café, and back to Stanley. She waved at him with a fake smile and said, "Sorry about that, Stanley."

He just grumbled, thumped the swinging door to the kitchen open with his fist, and disappeared.

Maura used that distraction to withdraw from her conversation with Frankie. "I really better be getting to work downstairs. Talk to you later."

She walked briskly to the elevator and jabbed the "down" button with her finger.

When she got downstairs and into her working area, Maura "terrified-woman-struggling-with-a-personal-crisis" Isles transformed abruptly into Dr. "forensic-expert-who-has-a-murder-to-solve" Isles and she immediately delved into her work, physically and mentally.

She pulled up the case profile on her computer and began surveying the lab reports that had came back during her day off. She reviewed the paperwork, and then walked to take a look at the body again. She studied the ligature marks on Louise's neck and checked for any new details that she might have missed. She was so focused on her work that she jumped when Susie Chang walked up and uttered her name.

"I'm sorry to alarm you," Susie said raising her hands apologetically. "I have some more test results for you. The results came back from the substance found on the victim's abrasions."

Maura took the file from her and thanked her. She began to read it, but realized that Susie was still standing in front of her. Maura looked up at her with questioning eyes.

"Is Detective Rizzoli feeling better?" she asked.

Maura blinked, slightly taken aback, and stammered, "Uh- y-yes I believe she is feeling much better. She was discharged from the hospital a few days ago, and she returned back to work today."

Susie's face brightened, "Oh, that is good to hear. I thought I heard she was back today; I was just a little surprised that she wasn't down here with you."

"Oh!" Maura said in surprise, but Susie didn't really notice and walked back into the crime lab.

Maura stood there for a second, and then shook her head and breathed a laugh. She opened the file to take a look at the report.

"Hmm," she muttered to herself. "Carboxylic acids…" She made some notes, furrowing her eyebrows.

Frost came through the door and Maura raised her head to greet him.

"How's it going, Dr. Isles?" Frost inquired, seeming hesitant. Before Maura could respond he continued, "Listen, Korsak and I are really sorry for… upsetting you at the bar the other night. Men can be insensitive sometimes, with all of that 'women: can't live with 'em'… stuff. We didn't mean to offend you."

Maura broke out into a smile. "Oh, that's fine. I'm not upset."

"Well you certainly were when it happened. Holy crap, we'd never even seen you mad before, and you were _livid_. " Frost recalled with a shutter.

Maura sighed. "Don't worry, I wasn't mad at you guys. Just forget about it, okay?"

"Alright," he agreed. "Any updates on the case?"

"Well… I just discovered that the substance found on the victim's neck is made up of carboxylic acids, specifically abietic acid. These chemicals normally occur in the solid portions of the oleoresin of coniferous trees." Seeing the blank look on Frost's face, she added. "Pine or balsam fir trees produce oils and resins that, when mixed, form a solid yet malleable substance called rosin. Rosin is used for many things such as the production of adhesives, soaps, even chewing gum!"

"So… you think the attacker got… glue, soap, or gum on his victim?" Frost asked, confused.

Maura breathed in and placed a finger into the air. "No."

"Ok…" Frost said, waiting for her to clarify. He was not as used to her approach to hypothesizing as Jane was, but he was being much more patient with her than Jane ever was.

"Blocks of rosin are also rubbed onto the hairs of string instrument's bows to ensure that the tone vibrates clearly. Any string musician has a selection of rosin cakes in their possession."

"Could it have been Louise's? Maybe from the string wrapped around her neck?" Frost wondered.

"I'd have to run some tests to be sure, I hope her rosin is in the violin case you brought me. It is possible to identify different chemical compounds in each block of rosin, as long as they aren't mass produced."

"Alright, well at least that's something. Korsak and Jane are interrogating our possible suspects. Nothing solid, so far. Thanks for the information, Maura."

"You're welcome." Maura said.

Frost started to leave, stopped to say something, but shook his head and left.

Maura found Louise's rosin and began to run tests. She was bent over a microscope trying to find matches in the substances when she suddenly felt a presence close behind her.

She whirled around and found Jane leaning on one of her autopsy tables, two cups of coffee in her hands.

"Hello!" Maura exclaimed, her face lighting up emphatically.

"For you," Jane said, handing her one of the cups and smiling sweetly.

"Thank you, Jane!" Maura beamed. She took the drink and blew over the top before taking a sip. "How is you're first day back?"

"Ah," Jane sighed, "It's not too bad. I'm waiting for Korsak to come back with another suspect. I figured I would come see how you were doing."

"That's… thank you," Maura repeated. They gazed into each other's eyes and smiled.

Realizing they were at work, Maura decided to discuss the case instead of ogling Jane. She told Jane everything that she had just told Frost, and turned back to the microscope. While looking through the lenses she said, "No, this substance is not from the rosin in her case… it appears there are different components in the one on her neck."

"Ok, so is it possible we could find where that rosin came from." Jane asked.

"I believe so." Maura stated.

After talking about the case for a while longer, Jane asked Maura how the night before had gone and they discovered that both of them had gone to bed very early in the evening and slept all night.

"I wonder why we were so exhausted…" Maura said with a glint in her eye.

"Sarcasm, Dr. Isles?" Jane declared, theatrically raising an eyebrow. She was feeling flirtatious and uncharacteristically brazen. She took a step forward and placed her hands on Maura's hips. She noticeably hesitated before mumbling a confession, "I… I really wanted you to stay last night."

Of all people, Maura knew how difficult it was for Jane to say something that made her so vulnerable. Her heart swelled with pride and affection. She kept her feet planted, promptly wrapped her arms around Jane's torso and leaned her full weight into Jane, resting her forehead on her chest. At first, the sudden movement startled Jane and knocked her off-guard, but she quickly recovered, folded her arms around Maura's body and buried her nose in the silky hair on the top of her head. She could feel Maura's hot breath on her skin through her shirt. Jane closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath and delighted in her sweet fragrance. Maura stayed in that position, not speaking a word, just breathing.

Jane placed a kiss on the crest of her head, and Maura lifted her face up to gaze at her. Their lips came together tenderly.

Both women were totally petrified.

Both women were completely confounded.

But both women were utterly overjoyed.


	19. Chapter 19

Detective Frost was at his desk clicking through the email records of Louise Davonshire when Korsak strode into the room.

"I love this day and age," Frost proclaimed with a grin, "Everyone's lives are run by technology… It makes my job _so _much easier."

"Got somethin' good?" Korsak inquired.

"I believe I did." Frost said with his standard air of self-confidence, "It looks like our victim was corresponding with none other than Osvaldo Lombardi, the Italian conductor, for the last couple of months. I'm not sure, but they seem a little friendlier than colleagues by the looks of some of these messages. I found an additional message sent from an anonymous sender, definitely a love letter: 'My immortal beloved.'… 'In another life our spirits might merge, but I grow impatient of waiting, adoring you from afar.'… 'I love you, my _fiore rosso_.'"

"Yikes," mused Korsak, "Well that certainly sounds like a good lead. We'll get Lombardi in here as soon as we locate him. He's our last suspect after Elena Martin and Shannon Campbell. Shannon's husband Maxwell, our fourth suspect, was ruled out seeing as he is out of the country."

"I'm working on tracing the origin of that last message." Frost assured him.

"Good work so far, Frost," Korsak returned, "Have you seen Jane? I found our next suspect and she's ready for questioning."

Frost shrugged. "You know what we say: when in doubt, check the morgue!"

He chuckled, "Of course… see you later," and headed to the elevator.

When Korsak made it to the basement, he almost bowled over Senior Criminalist Susie Chang in the hallway leading to the morgue as she rushed up to him.

"OH HELLO, DETECTIVE KORSAK! HOW ARE YOU TODAY?" Susie hollered abnormally, looking skittish.

Korsak looked at her with wide eyes and sputtered, "Uh, hello Miss Chang… Wh-why are you yelling?"

Jane hustled into the hallway from Maura's work area without delay.

"Oh, no reason," Susie said calmly once she saw Jane emerge. She made brief eye contact with a disorientated Jane and averted her eyes to the ground, wishing them a good rest of their day while shuffling off. Jane looked after her contemplatively for a second before turning to Korsak.

"Hey," Jane huffed "Looking for me?"

The sergeant was still slightly stunned from Susie's peculiar behavior, so he didn't notice that his ex-partner was flushed. He shook off his confusion and focused on Jane. "Yes," he answered, "Elena Martin is waiting in the interrogation room. Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Yeah, let's go." Jane stated. She took the lead and briskly walked to the elevator. Korsak followed, taking one final look back towards the morgue.

They arrived upstairs and walked into the grey room to find a woman slouched in a chair with her arms crossed. She was middle-aged, with dark brown curly hair.

Jane sat across from her and introduced herself, "I'm Detective Rizzoli, this is Detective Korsak. Elena Martin, is it? Did you know Louise Davonshire?"

"Yes, you _know_ I knew her." Elena snapped.

"Alright, will you tell us a little bit about your relationship with her then?" Korsak inquired.

"We had no relationship, the only thing we had in common was our job."

Korsak continued, "We've heard there was a bit of a rivalry between you two. Would that be something to murder someone over?"

"Of course not! I am a superior musician compared to her; she didn't deserve to be awarded the position over me." Elena spat, "I hated her, but I didn't kill her."

"Can you tell us where you where you were Friday night and Saturday morning?" Korsak questioned.

The unfriendly woman curtly answered, "At the Park Plaza Hotel, all night."

"Okay, we have records of everyone who was at that hotel party, and you are not on that list, wanna try again?" Jane said threateningly.

The woman rolled her eyes and started, "I was at that party, I-"

"_Wanna try again_?" Jane repeated louder, pushing herself to a standing position with her hands on the table.

Elena didn't flinch. "You know what?" she declared, "Unless you have proof that connects me to this, I'm not going to let you badger me like this. I demand the presence of my lawyers."

Jane scowled and acknowledged, "Fine, make whatever calls you need to. We'll be in touch."

She slammed her way out of the room with Korsak in tow. "God, I hate dealing with scumbag liars," she fumed. "Let's get a warrant to search her house in the meantime. We need to get a hold of her instrument and rosiny stuff to analyze at the crime lab."

"I'll get right on that. Here, look at this; Frost found some interesting emails from Louise's account." He let her read them "Our next step is to find our last suspect, Osvaldo Lombardi. He hasn't left town yet and his hotel is being watched."

Jane nodded, breathing deeply. She glanced at her phone and muttered, "Well, My Ma is texting me. I'm going to go visit her before she thinks I've disowned her. You know how dramatic she can be…"

"No arguments here." agreed Korsak with a knowing smile. "I'll come get you if I find anything else."

Jane walked into the Café and was immediately greeted by Angela holding a steaming bowl of Mac 'n' Cheese. She was grateful for the hot meal, and sat to dig into it immediately.

"Thanks, Ma," Jane mumbled with a full mouth. "I was really hungry."

Angela gave her a warm, maternal smile and sat down across from her. She gazed lovingly at her daughter while she ate, something that normally annoyed the crap out of Jane, but she didn't receive any flack today. "So how is your day going?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.

Jane shrugged and tilted her hand back and forth like a seesaw, muttering, "Eh."

"Well, I'm really happy you are back." Angela sighed, "I hope being at work puts you back into a good mood. I hate seeing you restless and irritable."

Jane rolled her eyes and shoveled another forkful of Mac 'n' Cheese into her mouth.

"Anyway, I am going to make a big family dinner tonight. I already asked Maura if I could use her kitchen. I really want you to try to make it. I know you've been preoccupied and agitated after your incident, but family is important and we haven't been all together for so long!"

"That's fine, Ma. I'll be there." Jane assured her, smiling kindly at her. She put the last bite of her lunch into her mouth and wiped her lips with a napkin.

Mrs. Rizzoli's face lit up and she stood up to kiss Jane on the cheek with a big "Muah!" sound. "Thank you, Janie! I better get back to work… lunch rush." She tottered of behind the counter leaving Jane alone with her thoughts and some paperwork.

Maura was sitting cross-legged on the floor in her dimly lit office, her eyes closed and her face elevated towards the ceiling. Meditation was one of her favorite ways to relieve stress. She calmly reflected on the latest events in her life. She pondered the enormous changes she was going through.

She visualized Jane. Jane's deep brown eyes. Jane's sultry voice. Jane's amorous smile. Jane's warm, enveloping arms. Jane's bravery, her protectiveness, her adorable vulnerability. Her stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies, and her heart grew warm. The more she thought everything over, the more tranquil she became. The more she thought about Jane, the more her fear and doubt melted away, becoming replaced by optimism and exhilaration.

Her eyes fluttered open when she heard a soft knock on her open door.

"I'm really sorry to interrupt," came the timid voice of Susie Chang. "I have the precise chemical breakdown of the rosin sample found on the victim. We found beeswax and gold flecks in addition to the pine sap."

Maura got to her feet and took the papers that she offered to read them. "That's good news, that's a unique composition," she confirmed, and looked up to smile at her colleague. "Thank you, Senior Criminalist Chang."

Susie nodded and adjusted her glasses. She started to exit.

"Susie," Maura called, causing her to stop in her tracks and turn back.

"Yes, Dr. Isles?"

Maura wavered. Then, with a feeble smile murmured, "Thank you. For what you did."

Susie gave a light bow of her head. "No problem, Dr. Isles," she said softly with a compassionate look. She smiled and left the room.

Maura smirked and shook her head to herself. Her stomach growled and she decided it was time for lunch. She made her way upstairs to the café, still deep in thought. When she walked into the entrance she spotted the tall slender figure and unruly black hair that belonged to Jane Rizzoli and felt the corners of her mouth turn up.

As she was making her way over to Jane, Angela caught her eye and franticly waved her over. She approached the counter to find out what she needed.

"Can I ask you something, Dr. Isles?" Angela said in a low tone.

"You know, neurologically speaking, preparatory phrases such as 'may I ask you something' or 'I have to tell you something' trigger parts of the brain associated with panic."

Angela froze. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"No. No-no, I'm sorry. Please continue." Maura insisted hastily.

"Okay." Angela resumed, "Well, first of all, thank you again for letting me use your kitchen tonight. You are of course invited to eat with us; it's a family get together after all."

"Anytime."

"So, my question is, when was the last time my Jane had a man in her life? I've been concerned about her love life, or lack thereof… I really, really want her to meet someone. She's just too hard-working to make somethin' happen, you know? You're her best friend, she tells you everything, right? Was Charles the last person she has," Angela lowered her voice to a whisper "_been_ with?"

Maura felt the color drain from her face as she mentally prepared the best answer that wasn't a lie. "Uh, yes, I believe Casey was the last… man that she has been with…" she began slowly, "But I really- I'm not very comfortable discussing this." Her last statement was exceedingly true.

"Alright. Just wondering…" Angela said with her classic "about-to-meddle-in-my daughter's-life-inappropriately" expression. Maura was going to say something, but Jane walked up to the counter having noticed her there.

"Hi," Jane said as she touched her lower back, "What're you two crazy kids talking about?"

"Nothing." Angela insisted as she was preparing a plate of food for Maura.

Maura shot Jane a helpless look and Jane understood it had something to do with Rizzoli family drama. She let it go.

Maura took her food to the table after thanking Angela and Jane followed her. They both sat and Jane studied Maura's face as she watched her eat.

_Man, I wish I were that sandwich._

Jane even surprised herself with that thought. She smiled at herself and let out a little chuckle.

"What?" Maura asked, puzzled at the look on Jane's face.

"Oh, nothing," Jane sighed, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand and continuing to gaze fondly across the table at her.

While Maura finished eating, they discussed new findings on the case. Both of them were glad that they were still able to act professional despite their transforming

physical relationship. Soon, Jane looked at her watch and said she needed to get upstairs. They walked together to the elevator, one pushing the 'up' button, one pushing the 'down' button.

When it came time for them to go their separate ways, Jane squeezed Maura's hand briefly as a goodbye and stepped into her elevator.

Before the doors had time to close, Maura leaned in and whispered in Jane's ear, "I think you should sleep with me tonight." She followed that up with a mischievous smile and a wiggle of her eyebrows and got out of the way for the doors to slide shut.

Jane only had time to smile in agreement before Maura was blocked from her view and the elevator- as well as her heart rate and arousal- immediately rose


	20. Chapter 20

Later that evening, Maura stepped into her home to be greeted by the wonderful aroma of a home-cooked meal and the chatter of a cluster of Rizzoli's. The content of the banter between Angela, Tommy, and Frankie was something that she had become rather accustomed to over the years. Angela nagging or guilt tripping her sons for something or other. The boys begging their mother for some refuge from her motherly pestering. Even though a large percentage of Rizzoli conversations were made up of squabbling, they were still strangely affectionate, and hearing them always made Maura feel cozy and at home.

Frankie and Tommy must have been receiving the business end of another Mama Rizzoli lecture, because they seemed very eager to welcome Maura home in the middle of it.

"Hey! You made it just in time for dinner, Maura." Tommy called to her enthusiastically, causing Angela to stop what she was saying and look up. Her face brightened and she waved at her with an oven mitt.

"What are we having?" Maura asked, putting her bag down on a chair and brushing her wide curls out of her face.

"Lasagna, an old Rizzoli family recipe." Angela crowed as she set the table. She turned to her sons adding, "Hey! You boys gonna help me out here, or what?"

Maura offered her help to Angela in the kitchen who gratefully accepted.

"It smells delicious," Maura praised with a gleaming smile.

"Thank you very much," Angela returned. Then, she stopped to look at Maura thoughtfully and said, "Dr. Isles, you seem different lately."

"Oh? How so?"

"I'm not sure. You just seem to be giving off a very… positive vibe. There's something very cheery about you the last couple of days. It's nice," Angela mused. She sighed. "I wish some of that could rub off on our Jane. She's so cranky all the time. Always snapping my head off for trying to help. All that comes out of that girl's mouth is negativity."

"Thanks, Ma, I love you, too." a sarcastic voice rang from the front door as Jane strode into the house. She crossed the room to the kitchen and kissed her mom on the cheek. She surveyed the array of food spread across the countertop while gently placing her hand on Maura's lower back. They greeted each other with a smile.

Jane greeted her brothers casually while Angela announced it was time to eat. As they made their way to the table, there was a knock on the door. Jane, who was closest to the door, opened it to find Lydia Sparks.

"Hi, Jane! Sorry I'm late," the dim blonde chirped as she walked past Jane and into the house. Jane was the only person who seemed surprised to see her.

"Well, come on in!" Jane muttered under her breath as she closed the door.

Tommy jumped up to greet his girlfriend with a kiss and led her back to her spot at the dinner table. The whole family began to eat and they shared relatively civilized conversations. Maura, who was in a splendid mood, was expertly explaining why their _Montepulciano d'Abruzzo _was a suburb wine pairing for the Rizzoli lasagna. Jane gazed at her with a goofy half-smile, not really listening to the words that were coming out of her mouth, but rather, silently appreciating her extensive knowledge.

Jane loved the look on Maura's face when she was spouting off random information or statistics. She had this way of nodding her head and putting one finger up in the air in front of her while she spoke, and Jane had grown very fond of it.

Jane let her eyes wander from Maura's eyes, to her nose, then to her mouth while the rest of the family was politely listening to Maura's history lesson on rustic Italian red wines. Her adoration for this brilliant woman was becoming harder to disregard and even harder to hide.

Maura caught Jane gazing at her with that devoted look and she blushed as she finished her speech. They looked at each other and smiled stupidly, their brief moment of connection only interrupted by the other people at the table beginning to speak about something else, reminding them that there weren't the only two people in the room.

Maura broke their eye contact to take a sip of wine and focus on Angela, who was now the one speaking. Jane, embarrassed by the fact that she couldn't take her eyes off of Maura, rubbed the back of her neck and turned her head to look anywhere else. As she was casually glancing around the room, she saw a glint and her eyes focused on something that alarmed her. It was something incredibly sparkly on Lydia's finger. When she saw it she jumped with surprise and choked on the bread she had been chewing on, causing everyone to cease conversing and stare at her.

"Excuse me… ah…" Jane began, trying to force the food down her throat, "Maura, can I- can you-?" She motioned for Maura to follow her to the kitchen.

Maura, though confused, obediently excused herself to trail after her. Angela, Tommy, Frankie, and Lydia carried on their conversation as if nothing had happened. They must have been too accustomed to Jane and Maura's frequent asides to give it a second thought.

When they got into the kitchen and out of earshot, Jane clasped the upper part of Maura's arm, pulled her close and savagely hissed, "Did you see what is on Lydia's finger!?" When Maura attempted to free herself from Jane's grip and crane her neck back to look at Lydia, Jane yanked her back and mumbled through her teeth, "No! Don't look." She looked panicked.

A wide-eyed Maura then ventured, "What are we not looking at?"

"It's an _engagement ring, _Maura!" Jane whined through her teeth and scrunching her face into a grimace_._

"Oh, really?" breathed Maura, eagerly trying to get a look again.

Jane pulled her back towards her another time. "Maura!" she growled, "What are we gonna do about this?"

Maura almost laughed, realized she was serious, and whispered, "Nothing, Jane! You can't do anything. You need to stay calm…"

Jane began to pout and whimper until Maura gave her a stern look and she sighed and stomped her foot. "Fine," she grumbled as Maura put her hand on her back to guide her back to the table. As they sat down, Maura shot Jane one more warning glare reminding her to chill out.

"-and then the guy had the _nerve_ to slip a business card over the counter saying 'Baby, give me a call if working at the Café doesn't work out for you.' and he left." Angela was in the middle of a story about an unruly customer at work. "I flipped the card over and it said, '_Red Diamond Adult Entertainment'_! Can you believe that? Ugh!"

The whole table erupted in disgusted and sympathetic cries in response to the end of Angela's tale. Frankie, Tommy, and Jane (even though she hadn't heard the whole story) canceled each other's voices out by all yelling threats to the effect of "He wouldn't have lived if I had been there!"

Maura decided right then that this overprotective and defensive Rizzoli trait was one of her very favorites. Once the Rizzoli kids' outbursts subsided, she weighed in, "Oh, Angela, I am so sorry that you had to deal with repulsive behavior such as that."

Angela gave her children and Maura an appreciative look.

"I think that's a compliment Mrs. Rizzoli," perked Lydia, with a dumb grin.

Maura could sense that Jane was uptight and probably going to eject some sarcastic quip, so she placed her hand on Jane's thigh under the table and squeezed. She heard Jane take a deep breath.

Angela smiled at Lydia and said, "I suppose that is one way to look at it…"

They finished their meal amid more pleasant conversation. Every once in a while, Jane made eye contact with Maura, who conveyed silent reassurances to quell her family-related anxieties.

They cleared their plates and continued sipping wine around the table. Jane's sharp and critical eye caught Tommy and Lydia having a silent discussion with each other with strange looks. She closed her eyes and braced herself for that she knew was coming next.

"So, Ma? Everyone?" Tommy began, putting his arm around Lydia. "We have, uh… some good news."

"Oh? Well it can't be another baby, right?" Angela chuckled, then after a few seconds became serious and insisted, "_Right_?"

Lydia just bit her lip, beamed, and exclaimed, "We're getting married!"

A stunned silence followed as Tommy and Lydia grinned like morons at the announcement.

Jane, considering herself lucky to have discovered this news before it was thrust upon them, glanced at her mother to gauge her reaction. Maura did, too.

Angela sat with her mouth agape for a moment, seeming to wonder if she had even heard her correctly. As the initial shock diminished, she finally managed to say, "Oh, Tommy!" Then she became more thrilled and added, "Oh! You kids, I am so happy for you!" She scurried around the table to engulf them both in a bear hug.

Frankie made a bewildered expression towards Jane and she returned it with a grimace and a shrug. But neither of their reactions was observed by the others now that they were in a flurry of excitement.

"This is great! How wonderful, right you guys?" Angela eventually directed at Jane and Frankie.

"Wonderful," Frankie stated a little flatly, "Congratulations you guys."

"Congrats," Jane said, forcing her most convincing smile and receiving a subtle look of disapproval from Maura.

Angela transformed into a fanatical "mother of the groom" and asked them question after question, completely oblivious to her other children's opinions. "When did you decide to propose? Where were you? How did my baby do it? Let me see that ring! Ah, I am so happy for you and especially for TJ! He's gonna have a family! Oh, where and when are you gonna get married? A summer wedding? Fall?" She was speaking a mile a minute, not even stopping to collect the answers to her tirade of questions.

When Tommy found a lull where he could slip in a word edgewise, he interjected, "Ma, settle down and we'll answer some of your questions."

Angela quieted down, but kept her body moving at the same rate her mouth had been. She bounced on the balls of her feet and kept clapping her hands together. Jane, Maura, and Frankie all watched in a mixture of horror and curiosity, all of them completely speechless.

"Well first of all, he proposed at a tail-gating party outside of Fenway. We were just drinkin' beers and eatin' hotdogs and-Bam!" Lydia explained energetically, with a amorous look at her fiancé. She held out the ring for all of them to view. It was a small diamond, fairly poor quality, but not ugly.

"How romantic…" Jane muttered, almost loud enough to be overheard. Maura scolded her with a light backhand to the shoulder. She slightly missed and ended up slapping her boob. "Ow!" Jane growled, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

Tommy, his chest puffed out in obvious pride, continued, "We, uh… We're excited to become a whole family, with TJ and everything, you know? Well, some more good news is, the wedding is in two days!"

"TWO DAYS?!" The entire room rang in a chorus.

Tommy slightly recoiled from the outburst he had brought out of his family, but defended, "Hey, we are excited to be together. And Lydia's mother has a pull at this really nice steak house. We got a reservation and we took it!"

Everyone else was still shocked and silent. Lydia took the opportunity to walk over to Jane with her hands folded in front of her and desperately pled, "Jane, I would really like it if you'd be my Maid of Honor."

Jane stammered for a few seconds, and then caught the eye of her brother Tommy, who was looking at her with such hope and expectation. She sighed and reluctantly consented. "Yeah, sure… Lydia."

Maura smiled and put her hand over her own heart.

"Yeah, and Frankie?" Tommy added, "You gotta be my Best Man!"

Frankie nodded his head, saying, "Yeah, of course I will, you knucklehead." They shared a big masculine hug in which backs were loudly slapped.

Angela was freaking out about the two-day notice they had, but Lydia and Tommy just kept assuring her that all of the details were already set and all she had to do was show up. It took them quite a while to convince her, but once they did, Tommy and Lydia decided that they were going to head out. They said goodbye to Jane, Frankie, and Maura, telling them how grateful they were.

Angela hugged them both vigorously at the door and gushed, "I am so happy!" She sent them out, shut the door, and turned to face the three others with her hands pressed against her chest. "Oh my goodness." was all that she was able to say. The rest of them were still feeling a bit uncomfortable and simply exchanged stunned glances.

"Wow. That was… unexpected." Maura muttered, finally breaking the silence. Then, she perked up and chirped, "More wine anyone?"

Frankie, Maura, and Jane convened to the living room with their alcohol while Angela began to serve dessert in the kitchen. There was another knock at the door.

Angela was suddenly petrified. She yelled louder than necessary, "I got it, I got it!" She buzzed to the door and opened it with a flourish revealing a woman about Angela's age with curly blonde hair and an attractive blue dress. Behind her towered a dark-featured man, in a stylish grey suit.

"Hello, we are just having dessert! Come in!" Angela welcomed them. Jane and Maura exchanged glances that wordlessly asked if the other knew who these people were. They both were stumped. Then Jane's stomach clenched as she pieced together the puzzle. In her head, she swore she would surely kill her mother this time.

Angela paraded the two strangers into the living room, a slight hint of apprehension running over her face, and announced, "This is my friend Leslie and her son Colin." As she introduced the three in the living room, they each stood up to shake hands with the newcomers. "This is Dr. Maura Isles; this is her beautiful home."

"This is an absolutely lovely house, Dr. Isles" Leslie said while shaking her hand.

"Thank you," Maura murmured, turning to greet Colin as well.

"This is my son, Frankie." Angela continued. Frankie politely greeted them both.

"And this," Angela concluded, "is Jane, my daughter."

Jane stood to greet Leslie and then turned to Colin. Close-up this man was extraordinarily striking. He had dark brown eyes, dark eyebrows, and defined cheekbones. He smiled as Jane took his hand, flashing brilliant white teeth. "Hi, Jane," he acknowledged her with a rich, low voice and gripped her hand a bit tighter.

Jane cleared her throat, still irritated with her mother but trying to remain composed, and said, "Hey, hello Colin. Nice to meet you." He released her hand and slipped his hands naturally into his pockets. He gazed a little longer at Jane before he and his mother where invited to sit on the couch with them. Leslie sat in an armchair, Colin, Jane then Frankie occupied the couch, and Maura took a seat on the armchair beside Frankie.

"Here's the dessert!" Angela crooned as she transported plates and a sizeable chocolate cheesecake to the coffee table. "Coffee?" she offered Leslie and Colin.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Rizzoli," Colin said, "And thank you for inviting us for dessert."

"Absolutely!" Angela beamed. She attempted to wink at Jane, found that she was giving her a frosty glare, and slunk back to the kitchen with her head down.

_She is lucky we have guests… _Jane thought menacingly.

Colin turned to face Jane and she was acutely aware of how close he was to her. He smelled strangely wonderful, and she felt a little uncomfortable. She briefly glanced at Maura, but couldn't read her expression.

"So, I understand you're a detective." Colin stated, pulling Jane's attention away from Maura.

"Ah, yes, that's me. Detective…" She racked her brain trying to recall what her mom had told her about him already. She came up with nothing. "What do you do?"

He didn't seem to want to talk bout himself very much. "I'm a software engineer. Not very exciting compared to what you do…"

"Nonsense, you are the leading man in your field," Leslie piped in. She turned to Jane and added, "He is the most sought after computer guy. He's won awards." Her motherly mannerisms reminded Jane of a less annoying, less interfering Angela Rizzoli.

Jane smiled at Leslie's embarrassing input, and congratulated Colin on his success, which he waved off modestly. Maura noticed the way Colin looked at Jane; his eyes traveled up and down her body and she saw Jane swallow and blush. Maura zoned out, disappearing deep into her thoughts.

"And Maura," Leslie cued, "What is it that you do?"

Maura didn't respond.

"Yo, Maura!" Frankie shouted snapping his finger in front of her face.

She jerked out of her contemplation with a start, muttering, "Huh-what?"

"My mom asked what you do for a living." Colin smirked amused by the doctor's strange antics.

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. I am Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Chief Medical Examiner," she said casually. Their guests were exceedingly impressed and asked her many questions about it. She wasn't used to being the center of attention for very long, so it was an odd thing to be talking about herself so much.

Jane detected her discomfort and diverted the subject of conversation to the delicious cheesecake they were devouring. While the whole group approved and commented on the scrumptious dessert, Jane caught Maura's eye and gave her a pleading and apologetic gaze. Maura returned with a dismissing and weak smile.

Colin turned back to Jane and said, "I apologize if this is a little forward, but you have the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen."

Jane involuntarily smiled, shifted her eyes to the floor and quietly responded, "Uh… Thank you… Thank you very much."

Frankie and Leslie got into a conversation of their own about his job as a police officer, Colin shamelessly flirted with Jane, and Maura sat in a trance.

Angela asked Maura to come to the kitchen for a moment, and she obliged her, giving one final covert glance at Colin first.

"So?" Angela asked animatedly, "What do you think of Colin?"

Maura couldn't lie. "He's very attractive…"

"Isn't he dreamy?" Angela gushed. She glanced out to the couch and added, "I think they are hitting it off, I _knew_ they would hit it off! Maybe I'll have two married children soon! Don't you think they are good together, Maura?"

"They look perfect together." Maura said staring at Jane and Colin on the couch, and her melancholy tone went completely unnoticed by Angela.

"Do you think she likes him?" Jane's mom prodded enthusiastically.

"I don't know," Maura said truthfully, "I can't tell."

"You know her better than anyone," Angela whispered. "I think I did a really good job at finding her this one!"

Maura looked from Jane to Colin, then back to Angela. "I have to- I don't feel well," she whimpered, and excused herself as she headed upstairs without anyone else seeing her.

Back on the couch, Colin smoothly placed his hand on Jane's thigh as they spoke. She looked down at it, and she felt sick to her stomach. This man would normally been extremely attractive to her, but she felt so uneasy, she shifted her leg under his hand, letting him know with body language that the contact was unwelcome. He retracted his hand as Jane turned to look for Maura. Noticing her absence, she said briskly, "Excuse me, Colin," and stood up to join her mother the kitchen.

Angela saw her coming and waited with a mixture of dread and curiosity. She knew her daughter was angry with her for setting her up, but she was also convinced that it was going well despite that. She expected Jane to expel a torrent of fury at her, or a begrudging thank you for introducing her. Instead Jane said the last thing she had expected.

"Ma, where is Maura?" She said it with such concern and anxiety in her voice it took Angela off guard.

She shook it off and deflected, "What do you think of-"

"Ma! Where is she?" Jane insisted powerfully.

Angela was confused, but she answered this time. "Upstairs. She said she didn't feel well."

Jane turned without another word to dash up the stairs, with her mother calling after her in puzzlement.

Angela shook off her daughter's abnormal behavior and walked to the living room to entertain her guests. She glanced once more with worry at the bottom of the stairs where she had seen Jane last and then began to speak with Colin, Leslie and Frankie.

Jane gently pushed open the door to Maura's room and stepped into the darkness. She heard a tiny sniffle and somehow, it ripped at her heart horrendously. She felt her way through the shadows to Maura's bed, which she crawled onto immediately.

Another sniffle. Another wrench in Jane's chest.

Maura was laying on her stomach, her face buried in a pillow, and her soft hair splayed out around the pillow. Jane found her body and lay down right against it, almost on top of it. Neither of them spoke for a long time; their bodies were in contact nearly from head to toe.

One more sniff.

Then, a weak voice. "I'm sorry, Jane."

Tears instantly stung Jane's eyes. Her hands found Maura's chin and she caringly pulled her face out from the depths of the pillow it was hidden in. She moved her body even closer and pushed Maura onto her side so that they were resting belly to belly.

"I don't know what I'm doing." Maura whispered. "I don't know."

Jane couldn't find any words to say. The ache in her heart was agonizing.

"I'm sorry, Jane" Maura breathed again, this time even weaker, but her eyes meeting Jane's only inches away.

Jane was looking into Maura's moist eyes, struggling to figure out why she was apologizing, straining her mind to think of the right thing to say.

There were no words to express her feelings, her mind was spinning, and she felt like her heart was going to explode.

Maura's eyes remained on her. They were miserable, begging Jane for forgiveness.

Jane's heart ached so excruciatingly now; she had never experienced such pain in her life. She clutched the back of Maura's shirt with white knuckles, pulling ever harder as she cried harder.

The pressure built up inside Jane; pain, turmoil, shame, adoration. It was threatening to brim over, to flood her, to _drown_ her. She held her breath, crying, and wondering how much more she could take.

Then, with an exploding sob, Jane finally let it out.

"I _love_ you, Maura Isles!"


	21. Chapter 21

Jane was quite startled by the words that had just gushed out of her from somewhere deep within, but as soon as she heard them spoken aloud, she knew they were entirely truthful. When those emotional words escaped her lips, she was liberated from her tremendous anguish. The agonizing fire in her heart was extinguished and a wave of relief crashed down upon her. Her tense muscles relaxed. She would typically be distressed by the level of vulnerably she had exposed herself to, but something was different in this moment, something she couldn't explain. She let a sharp breath out as she was liberated from her emotional and almost physical pain and awaited the response from the woman that she was laying next to.

Jane's declaration knocked the breath right out of Maura's chest. Her lungs momentarily stopped functioning, her heart swelled passionately, and her head spun. It was not until that very moment that she realized just how long she had been dying to hear Jane utter those words. It dawned on her that she had been waiting for this for years, and her close yet unclear relationship with Jane finally made some sense in her socially stunted mind.

Jane was her very first best friend, after all; her only true friend. How was she supposed to know what it felt like to be so connected with a person? Now it was clear that she had mistaken the power of love she felt for Jane as the bond of a close kinship. But the feelings she had been having all of these years was not just a normal friendship. She couldn't believe that she had missed the now obvious clues. And in this instant, the dream that she didn't even know belonged to her was coming true. Fresh tears sprung to her hazel eyes, but this time they were tears of joy. She eventually remembered how to breathe and she felt her tear-streaked cheeks shift as the corners of her lips turned up into a stunned, open-mouthed smile.

"Oh, Jane! I-" was all she could let out with a sigh before Jane's lips tentatively found Maura's and silenced her. They kissed not without passion, but with a gentle and eloquent manner that displayed true devotion. They remained in their position lying on their sides, their abdomens touching, and neither of the women's hands wandered away from the other's face as their lips moved together steadily and unhurriedly. Maura left a gap between her lips and allowed Jane to trace along their edges lightly with the tip of her tongue, which she continued to do delicately for several minutes.

As Jane slowly ran her tongue over Maura's soft lips, she felt the other woman's hot breath shakily exit her mouth and enter her own. Then Maura's tongue came back into contact lightly with Jane's, caressing it and then running its tip across Jane's teeth. Their lips knew exactly how to mirror each other and move in perfect unison, but their kissing never crossed the line into lustful contact; it was the most personal connection imaginable.

When Maura and Jane's lips were barley touching and they were softly breathing into each other's open mouths, Maura finally found the composure to speak.

"Jane," she whispered with a trembling breath. Jane slowly kissed her again, brushing her open lips tenderly across Maura's. "I'm,"- another prolonged kiss-"I'm in love with you." her soft voice finished the rest of her confession between the gentle kisses. She nodded her head slightly as if she was affirming to herself that that was the right thing to say. Her pounding heart told her it was.

Jane suddenly stopped, pulled back slightly, and clutched the back of Maura's neck with gentle fingers. She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to. They had both bared their souls to one another, and for the first time, they were unified as one. They remained frozen there with locked eyes and shared this significant moment silently. The only sounds in the room were the faint breaths that were passing between them. Both of them were deep in thought, their eyes flickering over every feature of the other woman's face. Minutes passed.

Maura finally bit her bottom lip and then smiled, instantly evoking a smile from Jane. Maura let out a light, nervous laugh and Jane breathed a laugh through her nose as she placed her forehead against Maura's.

"Ok, then!" Jane chuckled bashfully. Maura laughed louder at Jane's characteristic gracelessness and firmly pulled her into an embrace where they both slowly overcame the shock of revealing their true feelings for one another. The full comprehension of the burden that they had finally relinquished resulted in a strange euphoria, and they squeezed each other tighter in a celebration of sorts, exchanging timid giggles and sighs of profound relief.

Jane was filled with joy, the self-hate, negativity, and frustration she had endured from that first moment she had discovered her new attraction to Maura vanishing quickly. Those feelings were being replaced by delight and assurance, and she had never felt so certain of anything of her life than she felt about her place there in Maura's arms.

Maura was tremendously happy, having figured out her true feelings and getting them off her chest simultaneously. She loved Jane. Jane loved her. And for the first time in her life, she felt cherished; she felt wanted, a human requirement that had evaded her through her childhood and adulthood. She was overcome with emotion as her heart overflowed with the thrill of having found a home with another person.

Her overwhelming passion requiring an outlet, Maura suddenly broke out of Jane's strong grip, thrust her own body on top of her, and began kissing her fervently. She hastily kissed her lips, her cheeks, her nose; one after the other in quick succession. She found she desperately needed to kiss every centimeter of Jane's beautiful face immediately.

"Oh my God, Jane," she breathed onto her soft skin, continuing her frantic assault down Jane's jaw-line with her lips. "How could I have been so blind?"

Jane's only response was her breath quickening and she allowed Maura to continue as she broke out into a reverent smile.

"I love you." Maura moaned as she ran her moist lips up the side of Jane's neck. "I love you. I love you so much." She was almost whimpering now, kissing, breathing, licking and biting at Jane's sensitive skin.

Jane's body involuntarily shuddered from the sensations Maura's tongue was bestowing upon her. She felt as though every nerve in her body was vibrating and she forced herself to take a deep breath to attempt to contain herself. She meant to tell Maura again that she loved her, but all that she could manage to utter was a strangled moan.

Maura didn't wait for Jane to respond anyway. "I have loved you for so long," she continued. She seemed to be out of breath. She was quietly gasping for air, maintaining her ambush of sweet kisses, and moaning, "Jane, I love you. I love you…"

When Maura's rushed kisses made their way back across her face and towards her mouth, Jane received her and forced her to stay there by engaging her in a deep, passionate kiss, her hands pressed on the back of Maura's head to keep her in one place. Now that their lips were locked, Jane didn't bother to try to speak again.

After being forced to slow down with her mouth, Maura's hands continued the frenzied onslaught on Jane's body. They swiftly moved from her face, down her neck, stopped for a quick squeeze at the breasts before maintaining their rapid pace down Jane's abdomen. Jane gave a half-chuckle. She could hardly keep up with her, and though this ravenous quality emerging from Maura was surprising, it was most certainly welcomed. Maura grasped at Jane's belt buckle briefly before whipping it off with one hand, the other one already unbuttoning her pants.

Jane, who was more than ready for the spectacular things Maura was capable of doing to her, was taken aback when Maura abruptly broke their kiss and looked at Jane worriedly.

"Guests!" she said with wide eyes, as though she had just snapped out of a dream. "We have guests downstairs!"

Jane smiled and made sure to pull her back and keep kissing, only managing to mutter, "Fuck 'em." She could feel Maura's mouth smiling against her own as they continued making out heatedly.

"Are you sure?" Maura asked between kisses, though her concern in the matter was obviously waning. She had already begun to move her hands back down the opening of Jane's pants.

"Yeah," Jane mumbled with a mouthful of Maura. To put the thought completely out of her head, she deftly flipped Maura onto her back, mounted her and added, with a little more contempt in her voice than she intended, "They're _Ma's_ guests."

Before Maura had time to respond, Jane playfully nipped at her neck with a growl, causing her to emit a gleeful squeal.

Maura allowed Jane to take control momentarily, letting her move her lips across her body the way Maura had done to her earlier and, though it was difficult to think about anything besides Jane's hot breath and seductive moans, her mind was briefly preoccupied with a significant thought.

There was a remarkably good-looking, successful man downstairs who was obviously incredibly interested in Jane. Maura was even attracted to Colin, and she had been sure that Jane might have been, too. He was a striking, handsome man, and honestly he the type of man that Maura had always been drawn to. Magnificent bone structure, well dressed, well mannered. The man was here in _her_ house for Jane. He had been shamelessly flirting with Jane on _her _couch. Having known her for as many years as she did, Maura assumed that Jane would have most likely had sex with this man, despite the irritating means by which they were introduced. It dawned on her that tonight she was in direct competition with Colin. Jane was presently licking and sucking on her neck and rolling her hips tenderly against Maura's.

_I think I am winning, Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome! _Maura mused to herself smugly. The thought of such a sexy man coming in second place to her gave her the greatest pleasure. She let out a tiny gasp as Jane began to expertly massage her breasts, jolting her back into the moment at hand. Becoming focused again, Maura reached down her own body to where Jane was straddling her waist. Her pants were still wide open and Maura slid her hand smoothly down the front of Jane's panties, taking Jane by surprise given that she was occupied elsewhere. Maura became perplexed when Jane stopped kissing her, sat up, and yanked her hand out from the opening of her pants. She held her wrist tightly for a second, remaining silent and gazing down at Maura.

When Jane spoke, her voice came out deep and scratchy. "Maura," she started. Even the sound of her own name coming from Jane made Maura hot. She wriggled under Jane, and with a mischievous smile attempted to access Jane's pants with her other hand. Jane snatched it up as well and Maura's smile faded. "Maura," Jane began again. She brought the hands that she had captured to her face and kissed them. Then she brought them to her chest and pressed them up against her heart. Both of the women were still breathing slightly heavily. "Do you feel that?" Jane asked.

Maura blinked. She nodded solemnly.

"I'm not afraid anymore." Jane stated simply, with a slight shake of her head.

Maura, still lying on her back underneath Jane, squeezed the hands that were holding her own. She softly replied, "Neither am I."

Jane tilted her head to one side, gave her a charming half-smile that melted her heart, and added, "I love you… I really, _really_ love you."

Maura was very glad to hear those words again. She tugged a now submissive Jane forward on top of her and buried her fingers in her dark curly hair as their lips met once again. Jane ran her hands down the length of Maura's ribcage as they resumed their passionate interaction and held her hips forcefully. Maura pulled a bit roughly at the hair tangled between her fingers. Jane began grinding her hips powerfully on Maura's and that, with the combination of Jane's unrelenting kiss, was enough to get her to the brink of orgasm. She involuntarily moaned.

Hearing her lover's cry, Jane thrust her hips harder, sliding her lithe form between Maura's legs, which she opened wider in response. Both women, whose pants were still on, were panting with desire. Maura wrapped her legs around the woman above her and rolled her hips to a more receptive angle as Jane propelled herself faster and harder. She detached their lips, began to bite at Jane's neck and whimpered softly as she was rapidly approaching her climax.

Much to Maura's surprise, Jane came first. She became immobilized mid-thrust and arched her back as a gasp and a groan of satisfaction erupted from her mouth. As she settled roughly back between Maura's legs to ride out the rest of the waves of pleasure, it was Maura's turn to orgasm.

"Oh, God!" She exclaimed emphatically as her back arched off the mattress and her body shuddered under the weight of Jane's. After a few seconds of gasping she recovered and wrapped her arms around Jane's neck and drew her into a firm embrace. Jane rolled sidewise off of Maura, lying next to her with one leg still draped over her abdomen and kissed Maura's lips over and over again.

"God, I love you." Jane told her breathlessly, cupping her face with her hands and continuing to repeatedly smother her lips with little kisses.

Maura's bliss was too much for her to handle, and she silently wept with the overwhelming joy that filled her heart. Jane wiped the tears away with her thumbs, but kept her lips working on Maura's. They continued on in this fashion for quite some time.

Whenever things became too serious in any situation, Jane considered it necessary to make jokes or change the subject. It was definitely a Rizzoli trait. She kept kissing her and asked out of the corner of her mouth, "Do you think anyone heard any of that?"

Maura tilted her head back and rolled her eyes up into their corners thoughtfully. Jane continued moving her lips across Maura's neck, seeming to forget she had even asked the question that Maura was pondering. After a few seconds of silence she answered, "Gee, I hope not…" She wasn't really joking, but Jane laughed anyway.

Maura allowed Jane to keep on nuzzling her neck. Sensing that Maura was still distracted, Jane yanked her face back toward her own and attacked her lips again.

Eventually, Maura started to return Jane's kisses eagerly, her disposition abruptly converting back into lust. She crawled on top of the other woman's body and kissed her face, her neck, and then her chest. Her nimble fingers unbuttoned Jane's shirt swiftly.

"Well, hey there!" Jane murmured with a light chuckle as her shirtfront flew open, revealing her simple black bra. Maura straightened up into a straddle position to survey the gorgeous body that was displayed before her. She took both of her hands and ran them hungrily over the flawless abs, causing Jane to shudder. She tried to sit up and capture Maura's lips again, but Maura wouldn't let her. She shoved her back onto the bed and continued tracing the contours of Jane's muscles with her fingers and her eyes. She cocked her head to one side and bit her lower lip while her hands skimmed up over her breasts and Jane had to close her eyes and take a deep yet uneven breath.

After Maura teased Jane's nipples through her bra for a few moments, she slid her hands back to her abdomen and shocked Jane by digging her fingernails into the supple skin and dragging them down slowly until she reached the top of her waistline. Their breathing was increasing rapidly. She tucked a single finger underneath the waistband of Jane's underwear and slid it painstakingly from one side to the other, driving Jane wild.

"I don't want Colin to see this body." Maura stated unexpectedly, her eyes wandering over it contemplatively.

Jane's head snapped up in alarm. "Maura!" she barked with her eyebrows furrowed deeply.

Maura licked her lips and smiled. "What?" she asked with faux innocence.

"You know what." Jane scolded impatiently, this sudden change of conversation irritating her.

Maura shrugged, refusing to meet Jane's glare. She tugged at the panty waistband distractedly and pouted, "I just want you all to myself."

Jane shot upright to meet Maura face to face. "Don't be ridiculous." She said coarsely. She grabbed Maura by the chin and forced her to meet her gaze. "You have me." She felt aggravated that she even had to say that after the emotional breakthrough they had had earlier.

"Do you promise?" Maura asked. She was smiling, but Jane couldn't tell how serious she was being.

"Do I promise that you have me? As if it isn't obvious…" Jane scoffed.

Maura nodded once.

Jane relented. "Yes, I promise," she grumbled, rolling her eyes dramatically. She mockingly wagged a pinky into the air in front of Maura's face. "I'll even give you a pinky promise."

Maura glanced at her pinky, hesitated, and then knowledgably said, "The 'pinky promise' originated from early Japanese culture and indicated that the individual who breaks the promise is obligated to cut off their pinky finger."

Jane's hand plopped to her lap and she gritted her teeth. Then, a smile spread on her face despite herself. She scrunched her nose and shook her head, flinging her unruly curls around her face.

"Wow, I really must be in love with you." Jane chuckled in disbelief, running her tongue from the inside of one cheek to the other.

Maura tucked her lips into her mouth to keep from beaming, accenting her adorable dimples.

Jane raised one eyebrow and stared at Maura, becoming more amused than angry. She lifted her pinky back up and said, "Alright. You got it."

Maura flirtatiously narrowed her eyes at her and faked skepticism. "You will-"

"I will cut it off if I'm lying." Jane finished for her, nodding with mock seriousness.

Maura couldn't help it this time; she flashed her dazzling smile. She wordlessly curled her pinky around Jane's and shook it firmly once.

Without uttering another word, Jane skillfully flung Maura around and pinned her to the mattress facedown, their heads now at the foot of the bed. Tugging her head back by her hair, she sucked the flesh around her collarbone roughly and stroked her firmly between the legs. A ragged moan escaped from Maura's throat.

"Was that a police academy move, Detective?" Maura breathlessly inquired between gasps.

"One of my many tactical take-down methods, yes." Jane crooned into her ear with a deep, manlike voice. She thought it was so sexy that Maura had called her Detective "It's not often that I start to _finger_ my perps once I have 'em down, though."

"Well-Ooh!" Maura yelped as Jane's thumb hit a particularly sensitive spot. "They're missing out."

"Ha!" Jane exclaimed. She released Maura's hair, reached around her waist, and unbuttoned her pants. Next, she clutched the legs of the dress pants and yanked them off in one movement exposing silky black panties covering a glorious ass. Jane hadn't taken the time to appreciate this part of Maura during their previous lovemaking sessions. She grazed her hands over it while Maura made an effort to catch her breath. "You are so fucking beautiful." she marveled as she continued to massage her ass. She moved one hand down between her legs, underneath Maura where she came in contact with a hot wetness through the fabric and laid her body down against Maura's to place urgent kisses up and down her back, onto her neck, and face.

Maura groaned noisily in gratitude of the pleasure that Jane was providing. She arched her back with satisfaction, moaning even louder as Jane pushed her underwear to the side and effortlessly slid her fingers inside her.

Jane would have shushed her if the sound weren't so irresistibly arousing. She felt her own wetness increase immensely when Maura practically shrieked her name as she pumped her fingers into her and brought her to climax. Jane believed that she might possibly orgasm herself merely from the sounds of Maura enjoying hers. She was quivering with anticipation. Her desire was excruciatingly intense; she slipped out of her pants and began grinding on Maura's firm ass before Maura was even finished writhing in ecstasy.

"Oh my God, Jane." Maura was wailing, still panting desperately. Her sheets were completely torn off the bed, bunches of the fabric still clutched tightly in her white-knuckled fists. Her hair was draped messily over her flushed face. She let out a choked laugh. "Holy shit. You are amazing."

Jane had only heard Maura cuss a few times now, most of which were during the moments they had shared in bed together. She took it as a huge compliment. She pulled Maura's hair back away from her face and looked into her eyes with a smile, half ensuring that she was okay after her bout of sexual satisfaction, half begging her to relieve the aching sensation burning at her own center.

Maura, still trembling slightly, spun onto her back beneath Jane. She kissed her intensely, letting her tongue slide deep into her mouth. As soon as she regained her strength, she pushed Jane over to the side and rolled on top of her. Jane was pleading with her eyes and her shivering body. She licked her lips hungrily, already panting.

They joined their lips frantically and Maura set to work right away. The first thing she did when she tore her lips from Jane's was sit up and slip her blouse over her head in one swift motion. She put one hand behind her back and suddenly her bra was out of the picture as well. Jane instantly slid her hands up Maura's exposed abdomen to take hold of her naked breasts and sighed deeply.

"Good thing you have a front-clasp…" Maura teased as she brushed her golden locks out of her beaming face and unfastened the opening of Jane's bra between her cleavage. When Jane's breasts were freed, Maura immediately bowed her head to lick one of Jane's erect nipples, which became even harder at the intimate contact. Jane was breathing so hard, her chest was rising and falling rapidly and, once again, Maura was delighted that she was able to cause Jane to lose her composure so easily. She didn't have to do much to get Jane excited-even drive her mad with desire-and that power was utterly intoxicating.

Jane's legs flexed and un-flexed continually, rotating her hips up and down, the heat of her desire becoming unbearable. Her body was so impatient, but she secretly adored when Maura teased her, prolonging the inevitable for as long as she could tolerate it.

Maura, her mouth still sucking at Jane's breast, skimmed her hand down Jane's stomach slowly yet steadily. Jane shuddered and breathed even heavier. She let out a tiny whimper as Maura's slender fingers dipped below her waistline. Maura's mouth gracefully trailed down the same path that her hands had.

"I won't tear these off this time." Maura suavely promised her with a wink as she slowly dragged her panties down her waist. Jane lifted her hips to make it them easier to remove.

All of Maura's senses were hyperactive. She was acutely aware of every detail within this moment: The sound of thin fabric rubbing against skin as she drew Jane's panties slowly down her thighs, over her knees, around her ankles. The heat that was literally radiating from Jane's body. The incredibly silky-smooth legs she couldn't keep herself from caressing over and over. The sight of the stunning anatomy of the gorgeous woman splayed out beneath her. Rock-hard abs. Beautiful, full breasts. A wild mane of raven hair. Those deep, dark-brown eyes that could convey myriads of emotions at once, currently filled with adoration, lust, and desperation. Now that Maura was sure—absolutely sure—that she was completely in love with Jane Rizzoli, every sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste of Jane was like overdosing on a potent drug. Maura's heart had never felt so full; it was almost painful. But a beautiful kind of pain. One that reassured her that she was just like everybody else: capable of giving and receiving love.

Jane, now totally naked, was reaching the end of her fortitude, every touch from Maura feeling like electricity coursing through her body. Her lungs and heart were working in overdrive. Her desire for Maura Isles was as close to its pinnacle as it could possibly be in that moment.

She didn't utter a word. All she had to do was look into Maura's eyes, and Maura knew what she wanted, what she needed. She dug into Maura's back with her fingernails as the woman on top began to propel her body between Jane's widespread legs. Jane cried out in delight as Maura's fingers found their way into her wet, hot core. She whimpered louder and louder with every thrust until all she could hear was the mixture of her own heavy breathing and moaning and Maura's equally boisterous groaning.

Maura wrapped her free arm tightly around Jane's neck, forcing their breasts together and pressing the side of her head against Jane's neck as she continued to delve deeper into her. Jane pushed her nails deeper into Maura's back. Her groans were coming from the back of her throat and her teeth were clenched tightly.

"Maura!" she cried longingly. "Oh God! Harder, Maura!"

Maura obeyed, using all the strength she had in her legs to satisfy Jane's requests. She moved into Jane, harder and harder. Jane gasped with excitement as she drew dangerously close to climax. They were so in sync with each other; their shallow breaths and moans were in union now. Finally, Maura pushed with all of her might and Jane's orgasm coursed through her body like electricity. While Jane was climaxing, Maura continued to pump into her with her whole body. As Jane's rigid body finally relaxed, she rasped breathlessly, "Shit, Maura, you are so fuck-"

As Maura gave one final thrust, she lost her balance, sending them both toppling off the edge of the bed. They landed in a crumpled heap with a deafening thud and after the first few seconds of shock, they simultaneously burst into laughter. Their naked limbs were tangled together, but neither of them cared for comfort with their sexual high still jolting through them. They were both out of breath and leaned on each other for support as they broke into a second peal of laughter.

"I'm so sorry, Jane!" Maura chuckled, trying to keep a straight face while she made sure her lover made it through the fall unscathed. She clamored on top of Jane and kissed every inch of her naked body, continually asking between kisses, "Does this hurt? Does this hurt? Does it hurt here? Does it hurt when I do this?"

"This isn't how you treat your patients, is it, Doctor?" Jane teased. She was still trying to catch her breath and the spasms that just had rocked her body were still lingering.

Maura kept placing her lips all over Jane's body and only responded with a quiet giggle. "But seriously, Jane, are you alright? No bone fractures? Bruises? Sprains? Concussions?"

"Well," Jane rubbed her head. "Something _does_ feel kinda funny in my brain…" The corners of her lips twitched and she glanced at Maura out of the corner of her eye, knowing how terrible she was at picking up on sarcasm.

Maura's healing hands flew to Jane's head and gently held it. "Do you need to be hospitalized? I'll get my medical kit!" Maura said frantically as she sat up to tend to her medical needs.

"Oh, wait, wait, wait!" Jane said holding her hands up dramatically. Maura stopped and looked at her with concern. Jane continued speaking very slowly. "It may… have… less to do… with the fall…" She grabbed the sides of her head again. "And more… to do… with the _mind-blowing orgasm you just gave me_!"

Maura was indignant. Her eyebrow furrowed, then she opened her mouth and protested, "Jane! That wasn't funny!" Even while she was scolding, a smile spread on her face and Jane knew she wasn't really in trouble. Maura mock punched her, still trying to scowl. Jane pulled her into a hug, still lying flat on the floor.

"Honestly, though, I think that fall made it better. More intense." She said wagging her eyebrows. "So thanks, Doctor."

Maura scrunched her nose at Jane, but couldn't resist smiling back. Jane kissed her on the nose, and Maura shivered. Now that the tremendous heat from their lovemaking had dissipated, they were laying naked on the floor and it was beginning to get chilly.

"Here." Jane groaned as she got to her feet. She hoisted Maura up by her hands and opened up the comforter for Maura to slide in. She started shivering, too, and slithered in right up next to Maura.

Maura's teeth were still chattering, so Jane forced her into a spoon, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman and aligning the contours of their bodies for maximum warmth. Maura closed her eyes and took great pleasure in the feeling of being held by the woman that she was in love with.

"I truly am in love with you, Jane." she said aloud, keeping her eyes closed.

Jane's heart felt like it skipped a beat. After a moment of silence, she squeezed tighter and replied, "I know you are, Maura." They laid in silence warming up their exterior bodies and their interior souls. Both of them, though they couldn't see the others' face, were wearing the same foolish smiles.

Perhaps ten minutes later, Jane noticed a glow coming from the corner of the room that her pants had been discarded. She got up, shrouded in a bed sheet, dashed over to them and extracted her phone.

"Twelve missed calls..." she reported back over her shoulder to Maura, who had straightened up, wondering where her heat source had gone. "All Ma. Whoops." She shrugged, carelessly tossed the phone back into the pile of clothes and leapt back into bed, returning to her position as Big Spoon.

Maura lifted her head and glanced at the clock. "It's eleven-thirty. We have been up here for… Oh my! About four hours."

"We're lucky she respects your privacy enough to stay out of your room," Jane muttered, rolling her eyes. "_Really_ lucky, actually." she added, grimacing and imagining the array of things her mother could have walked in on.

"I wonder what… happened… downstairs." Maura ventured.

"I'm too afraid to check my messages," Jane admitted with a gruff voice.

"I'm sure Leslie and…" Maura paused to suppress a scowl, "_Colin_ left a while ago. I'm also sure your mother is furious with you. What do you think we should tell her?"

"Honestly? After the fuckery she pulled tonight, she doesn't even deserve an explanation." Jane replied coldly.

Maura turned her head and gave Jane a perplexed look followed by a silent snort of laughter at the word 'fuckery'. Jane said nothing else, but she softly stroked Maura's arm absentmindedly.

Maura pondered for a while. "Jane, what if… Do you think she heard?" She paused awkwardly. "We were… we were loud."

"Oh yes. We were very loud." Jane agreed matter-of-factly.

"I couldn't help it." Maura said, almost as an apology. Jane took it as more of a compliment than anything else.

"Ha, neither could I…" Jane stated with a smile.

A few more minutes of silence went past.

"Jane, what if she heard us?"

The thought put a pit of worry and shame in Jane's stomach. She would be mortified if her mother had heard anything, not necessarily because of whom she had been having sex with, but just any sex at all. Sex and parents shouldn't even be used in the same sentence.

Jane finally answered her, "I sincerely hope she didn't, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay?"

Maura nodded her head.

Maura turned to face Jane, lying with her head resting on the other woman's shoulder. "Jane? I don't think we should tell anyone about us… yet." Maura stated carefully, studying Jane's face as she said it.

Jane was more than relieved to hear her say that. In her eyes, she had overcome some difficult obstacles over the last few weeks. First, she had to admit her feelings for Maura to herself. Then she had to admit her feelings for Maura to _Maura_. The next step was a little too much for her for the time being.

When Jane didn't respond right away, Maura tried to explain her thinking, but Jane stopped her.

"No, don't worry about it. I agree." Jane assured her. "I love you. And you're the only one that needs to know that right now."

Maura seemed happy with that answer. She cuddled closer to Jane and placed a hand on her cheek to bring her lips to hers. They kissed affectionately until Maura broke it with an involuntary yawn.

"We'll just see what tomorrow brings. I think we tired each other out enough for one night." Jane smirked.

"Goodnight, Jane." Maura muttered into Jane's neck, already half asleep.

Jane smiled, kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I love you, Maura."

They drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, both thinking they were so lucky to be there with the other.

The next day they would have to go back to reality, back to work, back to concealing their love.

But tonight, their dreams were true. And they slept the night away blissfully.


	22. Chapter 22

A mellow, golden light was streaming through Maura's bedroom window and spilling onto two tranquil bodies dozing amongst a jumble of sheets and blankets. There was not a sound except for a few chirping birds and steady breathing. If anyone else had been there, they would only be able to see dark, untamed mane contrasting with light, fluffy curls poking out from a mass of covers.

Jane was coaxed into semi-consciousness by a gentle stroke against her cheek. She smiled and sighed dreamily, peeking out of one eye at Maura, who was propped up on her elbows beside her and gazing down at her.

"Hey, you." Jane mumbled groggily, blinking both of her eyes awake.

Maura toyed with a loose lock of hair surrounding Jane's face, and softly replied, "Good morning."

Jane's hand wandered up to where Maura was twisting her hair and laced their fingers together naturally. She yawned and smacked her lips as she flexed her fingers between Maura's.

Maura pulled Jane's hand to her face and pressed her lips against the back of it murmuring, "I love waking up next to you." She rubbed her nose against it affectionately as she blushed.

Jane grinned, her heart almost aching from the intensity of Maura's adorableness. She tugged her down to capture her lips in a tender kiss. "I agree. Not a bad way to start my morning." She kissed her three more times in a row. "Nice sex-hair by the way," she added, batting a tuft of Maura's hair away from her face.

"If that is what it sounds like," Maura innocently replied, "I only have you to blame for it."

"Don't you mean 'thank'?" Jane asked with a raised eyebrow and a crooked smirk.

Maura giggled. She bent her head down to caress Jane's lips with her own murmuring "Of course." They kissed slowly yet expressively, Maura shifting her body closer and Jane's hands running smoothly down her bare back.

"You know what's weird?" Jane mumbled with her lips still pressed to Maura's.

"Mm?" Maura wondered unenthusiastically, still distracted by Jane's soft lips.

Jane paused while they continued their kiss. They broke apart and Maura continued to nibble at her neck. "I think it's weird how naturally this is all coming to me."

"Hm?" was Maura's way of asking what she meant without detaching her lips from Jane's skin.

"I mean the… the sex." She awkwardly explained, sort of regretting that she had even brought it up.

Maura breathed a small laugh against Jane's neck. "Oh."

Jane waited to see if that was going to be Maura's only response. When she said nothing else, she continued speaking with slight embarrassment. "It's just… the first time we… I would have thought it would have been scary or awkward or…" she trailed off.

Maura only smiled.

"I knew what to do, but I'd never done it before… with a woman, that is… It felt-it feels-so _right_. I just think that it's kinda weird." Jane paused again. "Don't you?"

"Well… when a woman becomes familiar and comfortable with her own vagina, I suppose it's easy to transfer that to another person's anatomy." Maura intelligently explained.

Jane cringed at the word 'vagina' and admitted, "Not even sure if I was ever comfortable with my own…"

"Well, Jane, you certainly know your way around mine." Maura stated with an air of finality. Deeming that conversation finished, she moved her lips back over Jane's. She slid her hands up Jane's ribcage, made a small moaning sound, and Jane's sexual desire was brusquely awakened without delay.

"How do you _do_ that?" she demanded angrily when her lips were freed as Maura moved across her cheek.

"Do what?" Maura half-heartedly wondered as she nibbled below Jane's jaw line.

Jane answered by heaving a forceful breath and shifting her hips with agitation.

Understanding dawning upon her, Maura smiled conceitedly and continued to suck on Jane's soft flesh. She wondered if she would ever get used to this overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and pride when she effortlessly provoked such tremendous physical and emotional responses from Jane. It was the most authoritative she had ever felt in her life; and she worked for the government.

"I hate it!" Jane whined, flailing her legs immaturely.

Maura straightened up to look at Jane, still smirking and said, "Oh, I don't believe that. I don't believe that at all." She laughed as Jane's face contorted into a scowl with a hint of a reluctant smile.

"It just makes me feel so… weak." Jane complained with a pout. "Being-" she sighed sharply and licked her lips. "Being in love makes me feel weak."

"Oh, Jane," Maura chuckled while stroking her cheek with the back of her hand. "You are the strongest woman-the strongest _person_-I have ever met. The last thing you need to worry about is feeling weak."

Jane rolled her eyes, but a smile broke out across her face. She shook her head and said, "I just can't believe how goddamn crazy you drive me." She flung her arms around her and hoisted her body as close as possible to her own.

Maura donned a thoughtful expression and lectured, "Well, physiologicallyspeaking, your internal fluctuation of hormones-"

"Uh-uh-uh. No." Jane quickly interjected. "Nope. No science please! That drives me crazy in a whole 'nother way."

Maura glowered at her. Feeling a little guilty for shooting her down, Jane ran her fingers through her golden hair and flashed a cute, apologetic smile.

Maura laughed and was about to lean back in for another kiss when the clock on the nightstand caught her eye. "Jane, it's already nine 'o'clock!" she exclaimed. "We have to go to work!"

"Damnit! Work… I would rather stay in bed all day…" Jane griped, sliding her fingertips down Maura's silky back again. Maura closed her eyes and shuttered from the faint contact on her skin. It took every ounce of restraint she had to merely peck her on the cheek, pull away and mutter, "Come on, Detective."

"No, no, no, no, no!" complained Jane as Maura shifted to the edge of the mattress. She attempted to pull her back under the covers, gazing at her with her dark brown puppy-dog eyes.

Maura slipped out of bed and scampered to the bathroom without looking back, knowing that she would change her mind and come back to bed if she glimpsed Jane's disappointed expression.

"Is this just because I wouldn't let you talk sciencey?" Jane called after her with a pout. She got no response.

Jane mashed her palms onto her eyelids and rubbed them, letting out a growl of frustration. She wished that time would freeze, allowing her to explore this new world that she had created for herself with Maura, but she also knew how important her job was. They were still in the middle of on an open case and there was plenty of work to be done. She lived for her detective work, so she knew that it would be effortless to get right back into it as soon as she got into the station. She stretched lethargically and daydreamed about the last twelve hours with a lazy smile as she heard the shower faucet turn on.

Jane felt like a whole new person. She didn't feel the need to lie or hide from any part of herself anymore. She knew that she was in love. It was still terrifying. She didn't know how it happened, or what would take place next, but she finally knew and accepted what her true feelings were. Although being in love with her best friend was a new and bewildering experience, just knowing that Maura loved her back made it feel right. Her heart was bursting with happiness and every time the image of Maura popped into her head, her stomach was filled with butterflies.

She shook her head violently to refocus herself and started planning for the day. She still had her mother to deal with. She figured she would stop by the guesthouse briefly before she drove to her apartment to shower. As she began to ponder what she would say to her mom, she heard the bathroom door click as it cracked open and looked up to glimpse Maura's head poking out of the doorway.

"Uh, hello?" Maura called across the room. "Are you coming?" She smiled tauntingly and stepped back into the bathroom.

Jane blinked twice in simple-minded surprise, then scrambled off the bed and dashed into the bathroom like a child on Christmas morning.

What was intended to be a ten-minute shower to prepare for work inevitably escalated into forty-five minutes of steamy shower-sex.

* * *

Jane's mood was as high as possible as she swaggered down the stairs to the kitchen to make coffee. Her phone was pressed to her ear as she was checking her messages from last night and this morning. She punched the 'delete' button to skip through the first six messages that started with, "Young lady", "Janie", or any other variation featuring her mother's nagging voice. She peered out into the driveway to discover that Angela's car was already gone. There was one message at the end from Detective Frost that she listened to as she spooned the coffee grounds into the machine:

_"Hey Jane, uh, not sure where you're at this morning… Man, you always answer your phone. I hope you're ok," _he added with a nervous chuckle. "_Anyway, we have a lot to catch you up on about the case. Get in here as soon as you get this message."_

Jane hung up the phone and leaned her elbows on the counter to watch the coffee brew while Maura continued getting ready upstairs. She glanced over at the extravagant contraption that she had watched Maura make her 'fancy coffee' with many mornings. She hesitantly dragged it out of its corner, considered making 'fancy coffee' for Maura, but shoved it back and waved her hands at it dismissively when she decided the effort wasn't worth it. She poured her instant coffee into a mug as she heard the sound of heels clicking down the stairs.

Maura strolled down the hallway in a stunning patterned dress, tossing her honey-colored hair over her shoulders and flashing a smile.

Jane greeted her with a smile and made a half-hearted gesture at the coffee pot as an unspoken offer.

Maura scrunched her nose at the instant coffee and said, "I'll just get some tea at the Café. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, we really should get going." Jane confirmed and winced at her watch. "Yikes. I am _so_ late."

Maura gazed at her remorsefully as they made their way out the front door, "I'm so sorry, Jane!"

Jane gave her an amused look and muttered, "I'm not."

* * *

Jane parked her car in front of the station and turned to face Maura before they went in. She grinned at her affectionately and Maura blushed and lowered her gaze to her own lap.

Jane had so much that she wanted to say to the woman next to her. She wanted to express her gratitude for the night they had just spent together. Their emotional breakthrough that released them both from their denial paired with the amazing physical connection that they had shared meant the world to her, and she wanted Maura to know that. She wanted the time to express her multitude of feelings about this fantasy world that they had created with each other, but the real world was not going to wait for them.

Instead of attempting to say any of the things she was thinking, Jane simply sighed and grasped Maura's hand. "Thank God I have tons to do today," she muttered, squeezing her hand a bit tighter. "It'll make it go by so much faster."

"I wish I could say the same," Maura replied. She crossed her fingers and added, "Here's hoping somebody dies today!" She paused, looking horrified and faltered, "Oh, um. Th-That… didn't sound quite right, did it?"

Jane laughed so hard she let out a sudden snort. "Okay," she said between chuckles, "Let's go." She opened the car door with one hand while wiping a tear out of her eye with the other.

Exchanging playful glances, they waltzed into the lobby where they met a seemingly grumpy Detective Korsak, who greeted them briefly before insisting that Jane hurry upstairs.

"Frost has been whining about you all morning," he told her. "'Where's Jane? Why isn't she answering her phone? Blah blah blah!' I was two minutes away from smashing his little robot doll across his face."

"Dude, did you get your coffee this morning?" Jane asked him with raised eyebrows, surprised by his hostility.

Korsak sighed, looked as if he was going to explain himself, then shook his head and switched the conversation to Jane. "Hey, I'm not the one that decided to show up two hours late, Detective. Now get to work." he retorted, sounding only partly serious.

Jane executed a snappy salute and barked, "Yes Sir, Sergeant Korsak, Sir!" Maura's chest shook with suppressed laughter as she followed a dramatically stomping Jane to the elevators.

Jane stood on the tiptoes of her boots to furtively glance into the window of the Café, which was thronging with customers. She could see Angela at the counter busy taking orders. She looked at Maura and grimaced, "I think I'll face the music with Frost before I face the music with her." She jabbed the elevator button.

Maura paused. "Jane, do you want me to… 'test the waters'?" she asked, incorporating unnecessary air quotes. She shrugged. "I wanted some tea anyway…"

"Um, do I want 'she who cannot tell a lie' to talk to my mother right now? No. Not really."

"I'll try my hardest, I promise." Maura begged. "I think I have become somewhat of an expert at answering questions indistinctly. I'll just feel out how upset she is with you… and maybe find out if she knows anything about what you ended up doing last night instead of hooking up with her um… specimen."

"Specimen? Really?" Jane griped. She sighed and thought about it until the elevator doors opened. "Well…I guess that couldn't hurt," she decided. She stepped into the elevator, turned, and added a sincere "Good luck."

Seeing Jane traveling away from her made Maura desperately want to kiss her goodbye. She bounced on the balls of her feet agitatedly, but determinedly held her ground. The doors began to close and she gave a little wave. Jane smiled at her and shot her a charming wink while murmuring, "Bye." Maura's stomach fluttered with delight and, as she strode into the Café, she realized she was still beaming ridiculously.

"-and here's your ham and cheese English muffin, sir," Angela chirped as she handed a plate over the counter to the first customer in line. By her side, Stanley, sporting his signature irritable glower, was passing a cup of steaming coffee to a police officer.

Maura approached the end of the line, but noticed that Angela was waving her to the counter. She politely excused her way through the crowd to reach the front.

"Good morning, Angela." she greeted her timidly, not sure what to expect. They moved to the side, out of everyone else's way. To her surprise, Angela handed her a hot cup of green tea.

Maura accepted the tea gratefully and began to apologize for abandoning her with the guests the night before.

Angela spoke before any real words came out. "Are you feeling better, Dr. Isles?" she inquired warmly. "You looked just terrible last night." Stanley glared at his coworker out of the corner of his eye, but kept his mouth shut.

"Oh! I…" Maura replied, regaining confidence, "I am feeling _immensely_ better." Her idiotic grin returned to her face unintentionally as her mind wandered back to the previous night's events.

Angela smiled maternally and said, "That's a relief. I was pretty worried about you. You look one hundred percent better today. I hope it wasn't my cooking that got you sick!"

Maura only shook her head to assure her it was not the cooking that had upset her. She didn't want to speak for fear of giving any indication that it had in fact been the company that had caused her to flee.

"Jane on the other hand," Angela began crossly. Maura braced herself for whatever was to follow. "I should smack that girl, maybe it would knock some sense into her head." She conked herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand to further emphasize her point.

Maura waited with baited breath as Angela sighed with frustration.

"I know I shouldn't have surprised her with Colin, but I can't believe she was rude enough to leave like that. I mean, guests are guests, you know?" Angela sighed again.

Maura pursed her lips, not trusting herself to verbalize a response.

Apparently, Angela didn't care if she got a response. She continued ranting. "I called her dozens of times. I was so embarrassed in front of Leslie and especially Colin. It was so awkward trying to justify her behavior to them. I really thought Jane was hitting it off with Colin until she just bolted."

Maura hesitated. She nervously prepared herself to contribute to the conversation. After a deep breath, she stammered, "Angela… I- Jane… I was feeling very… upset. Jane was- well she was just trying to be a good…a good friend." Her voice weakened at the end of her statement. She didn't know what else to say.

Angela rolled her eyes, but then nodded reluctantly. "I suppose I understand," she grumbled, still not completely forgiving. "As soon as I realized she wasn't coming back downstairs, I sent everyone home. It was so embarrassing! Even though I am furious at her," She gritted her teeth. "I guess I asked for it by not telling her who I invited…"

Maura thought to herself how evolved Mrs. Rizzoli was becoming. She seemed more likely to admit a mistake and not as stubborn as a mule like usual. Maura considered voicing this opinion aloud, but decided against it, waiting to see what Angela said next.

Angela growled with frustration. "I just will never understand my daughter…" She shook her head unhappily, seeming to be lost in thought. Maura bit her bottom lip and waited patiently. Suddenly Angela cocked her head and gazed directly at Maura adding in a softer tone, "She really cares about you."

Taken aback, all Maura could do was smile and avert her eyes as she felt her cheeks redden. She brought her tea to her lips to try to conceal part of her blushing face.

Angela gave her a compassionate look. "I suppose it was nice of her to check on you. She's always been so protective of you."

Maura nodded. "Yes," she confirmed. "Jane has always taken very good care of me. I'm very lucky to have her."

Angela clicked her tongue and smiled, not knowing the full meaning behind Maura's words. She reached over the counter and rubbed Maura on the arm lovingly. Then, snapping back into her grouchy tone she snarled, "She still owes me an apology. _And_ our guests!"

"I'm sure she will oblige you in that…" Maura told her, at least believing that it was a truthful statement.

"She better," Angela glowered. "Anyway, enjoy your tea, I really have to get back to work. Mr. Stanley's been givin' me the stink-eye ever since you showed up." With that, she turned her back to Maura to tend to the massive coffee machines on the back wall.

Maura heaved a sigh of relief. She was now completely positive that Angela had no idea what had actually taken place upstairs between her daughter and her best friend.

She sipped her tea in high spirits as she made her way to the elevator. Though she didn't have any pressing work to be done, she was thankful that she had a perpetual stack of paperwork to work on to pass the time until she could see Jane again.

* * *

With a 'business as usual' demeanor, Jane strolled to her desk, which was facing a disgruntled looking Detective Frost. He looked up at her as she approached, his face displaying a mixture of frustration and relief.

"About time." was all that he said in a flat tone.

Jane grimaced and muttered, "I'm sorry I'm late." Seeing by the expression on his face that he was feeling forgiving, she smiled and added, "It was for a really good reason though, believe me." her mind fleetingly wandered back to Maura enthusiastically pressing her up against the hard, tile wall of her shower and having her way with her amongst the steam.

Frost shook his head, and sighed, "You can tell me about it later. I'm guessing you'd like to hear what you've missed so far today?"

Settling down comfortably into her chair, Jane grinned and said, "Hit me."

Frost coolly proceeded to tell her everything that he and Korsak had done that morning in her absence, shuffling through papers and pictures as he was speaking.

"Our top suspects are still Elena, the rival and Osvaldo, the Italian guy. We obtained the rosin from Elena's house; we're just waiting for the comparison results to come back to connect her to the crime scene. She's pretty much untouchable right now, she lawyered up pretty well. And," He leaned back in his chair with smugness. "I am waiting for a call from a C.I. who may know where we can find Osvaldo." The phone on his desk rang, and he pointed at it knowingly. "Bingo!" he declared before he answered the call. "Frost… Alright, thank you. We're on our way." He stood up and grinned, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Looks like you got here just in time for the action." He started heading out. "Let's go, Rizzoli, you got some slack to pick up."

Jane smirked at Frost's sass and bit back a sarcastic retort. She figured she ought to endure any harassing that was bound to come her way today to make up for her tardiness and followed after her partner without objection.

On the car ride to their destination, Frost's attitude warmed up considerably and any snide remarks he made about her being late were clearly all in jest. She was relieved that she wasn't being forced to explain her actions, and now only the uncertain circumstances with her mother were on her mind. She decided that she needed to put everything out of her head except for the case, knowing from experience what harm could befall them if she lost her focus.

"I have a weird feeling about this Lombardi guy," Jane told Frost, adjusting her badge and gun holster distractedly. "He disappeared awfully quick after Louise's murder."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Frost agreed, "I don't think that was coincidental. That, plus the emails we found between them puts him in a pretty guilty position." He looked over at Jane. "From what I've heard, he's a pretty eccentric guy. An eccentric Italian musician. Ever met one of those?"

"Nope," Jane replied. She looked out the window thoughtfully.

"Let's hope he agrees to come down and answer some questions," Frost said, "I am too crabby to deal with anything complicated today."

Jane pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing deeply, "This'll be the first suspect I pursue since Terance."

Frost gazed over at her with understanding. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again.

Jane bit her lip and began to wring her hands. Her phone vibrated and she glanced at it, finding a new message.

**Maura: She didn't hear anything, and I didn't have to lie. She made me tea.**

Jane smiled and replaced her phone at her hip as Frost glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Important message?" he asked.

Jane looked down at her hands folded in her lap and muttered, "Nah, don't worry 'bout it."

Frost took a breath and shrugged, bringing the car to a stop in front of a rundown motel "Here we are." He turned in his seat to face Jane. "This is apparently the place he was _really _staying at. He was registered at two locations for some reason. Now, we aren't sure what to expect from him so-"

Jane nodded and placed her hand on her gun.

Frost nodded back and exited the vehicle. "We have backup around the corner." He let her know quietly. They cautiously approached the correct door and knocked. "Osvaldo Lombardi," Jane yelled through the door, "Boston Homicide. We need to speak with you."

They listened, knocked again, and waited. Frost inclined his head at the doorknob while reaching for his firearm. Jane extracted her gun and turned the knob. The door swung open and they slipped inside to investigate the small motel room, splitting up onto separate sides of the room. Frost checked the closet, while Jane head down the hallway towards a closed door. She slowly approached it, making eye contact with her partner. Just when she had reached the door, there was a deafening crash that sounded like glass shattering. She roughly kicked in the door, shouting, "Boston Homicide!" just in time to see a figure scramble out of the bathroom through the broken window. "Frost! She yelled, "He's running! Go 'round back!" Adrenaline taking over, she dove through the shattered glass and rolled onto the grass behind the motel.

"Stop!" Jane bellowed as she swiftly sprinted after him along the side of the building. She gained on him fairly quickly, even with her gun drawn. She grunted with excursion as she wrapped her arms around him and rammed him into the brick wall.

"Where you goin', Lombardi, huh?" She growled, roughly shoving the man's back against the wall by the collar of his shirt. He struggled, and she forced him back again with all of her strength. Frost dashed around the corner to assist her with a pair of handcuffs. As Frost forced Osvaldo's arms behind his back, he began yelling at them in Italian. "Come on, guy, we're going to take you on a little trip." Jane snarled, "We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Back at the station, the detectives found that Osvaldo could only speak Italian. He had calmed down by now and was sitting in the interrogation room patiently.

"Maura knows Italian, I think." Jane mentioned, "Let's get her up here."

After about thirty minutes of interrogating and translating, they had learned a few important things. First, they learned that Mr. Lombardi had a solid alibi for the night of Louise Davonshire's murder, which was highly disappointing to Jane.

Next, they gathered his perspectives of the intense rivalry between Elena and Louise.

"He says he saw them arguing the night she was killed." Maura listened to his account carefully. "And they were involved in a physical altercation as well. He says that he broke it up." The more he told them, the more evidence they discovered against Elena.

Finally, Jane asked, "Wait, why did he run if he was innocent?"

After a few minutes, Maura found the answer. She leaned closer to Jane and murmured, "Possession of Benzoylmethyl ecogine."

"Cocaine. Wonderful." Jane muttered as she exited the room. "He's the Drug Unit's problem now."

Frost departed immediately to inform the proper people about the drug criminal and Maura and Jane found themselves alone in the hallway.

"Thank you for your help," Jane told her sincerely.

"Of course," Maura said, then noticed the fresh scrapes on Jane's arms. "Are you okay?" she fussed, lightly touching her scratches.

"Yes, I am fine," Jane assured her. She took Maura's hand in her own and added, "I just jumped through a window."

Maura smiled with pride at Jane's bravery and modesty. "You should get going," she murmured reluctantly. She looked both ways before leaning in to kiss Jane on the cheek and then walked away. Jane watched her depart longingly, then snapped herself out of her trance and ran upstairs to join Frost.

Sitting at their desks, Jane and Frost were going through the details of Osvaldo's testimony. They still didn't have enough proof to make it past Elena Martin's fleet of high-priced lawyers. They both were developing headaches until Jane received a text.

**Maura: Test results finally came back. The unique composite in Elena's rosin matched the residue left on Louise's body.**

Jane read the message out loud and she and Frost exchanged hopeful looks. Jane clapped loudly. "That's at least enough to get around her lawyers and arrest her! Let's go!"

* * *

When Maura returned to her work area, she was surprised to find that her morgue technicians had delivered a new body to examine while she had been upstairs. She strode over to the autopsy table, pulled on her protective gear and unzipped the body bag to start her evaluation. "Oh no." she whispered. She grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed Jane's number.

Frost and Jane were rushing out the door to the car when Jane's phone rang. "What's up, Maura?" She answered hurriedly. "We're headed out to pick up Elena Martin right now."

Maura hesitated. "You don't need to… She's here."

Halfway down the stairs, Jane stopped abruptly in her tracks. She furrowed her brow and looked at Frost in surprise, shouting "What?" into the phone. He stood there in confusion, waiting to hear what was going on.

"She's…" Maura's voice apprehensively came through receiver, "Jane, she's dead."


	23. Chapter 23

In a strange sense, both Jane and Maura had gotten what they wished for that day. Work was hectic and eventful enough to keep their minds busy, and the day went by in a flash. Between hunting down the Italian conductor and sorting through evidence, Jane didn't have time to worry about formulating a believable apology for her mother or daydream about licking every inch of Maura's naked body. Maura was too engrossed in an autopsy to fixate on her constant desire to huddle in Jane's protective embrace and enlighten her on all of the things that had made her fall in love with her.

Jane, Frost and Korsak, spent the better part of the afternoon reevaluating their entire case. Their top two suspects were eliminated in one day; one by alibi and the other by death. There was nothing more frustrating than starting over at square one, especially when all evidence was pointing to Elena Martin as the perpetrator.

The three detectives were sitting around one of their desks, drinking coffee and discussing their options.

"Maura says—but won't guess without further testing—that Elena was poisoned. She has no idea by what, but that's what all the evidence is pointing to. She says she'll update us as the information comes." Jane informed them, trying to hide her impatience with Maura's intolerance of speculation.

"We don't have an exact cause of death for Elena, but all witness testimonies and forensic evidence indicate she was the killer. It's possible she killed Louise, then someone killed her, or she killed herself." Korsak suggested.

"Or just happened to die accidently." Jane put forth, "We have no positive leads until we get that cause of death. In the meantime, we need to search for other possible suspects."

"What do you say we talk to Louise's friend Shannon again? Maybe she can help us find any other leads." Frost suggested.

"Okay." Jane agreed. "You two wanna take the lead on that? I'll stay back and see if we can make some headway on Elena's autopsy results.

In the late afternoon, Jane and Maura convened in the lobby of the police department to compare information.

"What'd you find, Maura?" Jane exhaustedly asked.

Maura grimaced, "I'm afraid the test results won't be back for at least twelve hours."

"We have to wait 'til tomorrow? This case is taking _forever_," Jane growled with frustration and rubbed her forehead for a few moments. She got a phone call so she lifted her head to answer it. Maura waited patiently until she was finished. "And there we go…Frost and Korsak were out to pick up Shannon Campbell and she's unavailable 'til tomorrow because of orchestra rehearsals again. Dammit!" she began to massage her forehead again, "This is the case from hell!"

Maura rubbed Jane gently on the back until her head popped back up again. She sighed and relaxed. "Nothing else we can do for now… Alright. Need some food?" she asked, pointing toward the café.

Maura nodded. "Yes, I am famished. I believe our minds need a break from this case anyhow." They made their way to the café.

Jane paused at the entrance to the café where her mother was working, turned to Maura and said, "Here's one way to distract us from the case: ready to witness my famous 'I'm super-duper sorry for ruining your unwanted matchmaking dinner party' acting skills?"

"That's certainly a mouthful…" Maura remarked. She raised her eyebrows. "I'm intrigued."

They entered the café, which was not busy anymore compared to how it had been earlier. Jane made a b-line to her mother's post behind the counter and began with the 'nothing is wrong' technique. "Hi, Ma!" she greeted cheerfully. Her mother took one look at her and scowled. Jane sighed and began her plea for forgiveness. "Ma… I'm sorry for last night."

"You should be," Angela grumbled crankily. She kept working on random tasks behind the counter, refusing to look at her daughter.

Jane looked at Maura angrily and she gave her an encouraging glare.

"Ma," Jane tried again, "Ma, please look at me." Angela finally stopped to listen. Jane looked her in the eye and insisted, "I'm really sorry, okay?" Her mother's facial expression softened, but she didn't say anything. Jane shot another irritable glance at Maura who gestured for her to try again.

"Ma, I'm sorry. Maura was… sick. I felt the need to be there for her. You can't hate me for that."

Angela shrugged her shoulders apathetically, continuing to scrub the counter with a rag.

Her temper rising, Jane protested, "You're still mad? I told you I was sorry!"

"I'm not the only person you need to ask for forgiveness!" Angela badgered, crossing her arms in front of her body stubbornly.

"I'll apologize to them, too, okay?" she assured her mother impatiently, almost begging for this conversation to be over.

Angela was silent again.

"What, Ma, what? What do you want me to say?" Jane argued, wildly gesturing with her hands. Maura sat silently, watching Jane's hotheaded temperament get the best of her and wishing she could step in and comfort her.

Angela paused for a second to think. "I know how you can start to make it up to me," she finally grumbled, her eyes still narrowed at her daughter.

Jane frowned. "How?" she moaned in trepidation, already knowing she was not going to like what she was about to hear.

"Lydia wants a bachelorette party," Angela informed her and raised her eyebrows, daring Jane to object.

"Whoa! Are you kidding me? The wedding is tomorrow!" Jane shrieked piercingly. She gaped at Maura in disbelief who returned her look with a sympathetic shrug. "I literally have no words to… I can't-" Jane fumed while kneading her forehead with severe aggravation.

"Frankie's throwing a bachelor party for Tommy," Angela insisted. Receiving only a blank stare as a response from her irritable daughter, she added, "Come on, it doesn't have to be extravagant. She just wants to be traditional."

"Well, newsflash, Blondie: _traditionally_ the baby comes after the marriage." Jane declared sarcastically.

A threatening glare from Angela reminded Jane that she was supposed to be making up for what she had done the night before, not getting into deeper trouble. She sighed heavily, forced herself to calm down, and grudgingly muttered, "Fine. We'll do drinks at the Robber."

Angela seemed satisfied with that response. She leaned in and kissed Jane on the forehead. Then she muttered, "I'm still mad, but I know you'll make it right."

Jane took a deep breath to stay calm. "Yes, I will apologize to your guests, Leslie _and_ Colin." Jane even resisted bringing up how wrong her mother had been to spring them on her.

Hearing the mention of Colin's name, Angela changed the subject slightly. "He and Frankie actually really hit it off last night after you abandoned us. Apparently they went out drinking together."

"Oh… that's…. interesting?" Jane muttered hesitantly. She paused for a minute, then ventured, "Can we please have some food?" She flashed her best 'pretty please with sugar on top' grin.

Angela's maternal instincts outweighed her grudge. She brightened up significantly and began to whip them up a meal.

While they were eating together, Maura and Jane quietly discussed the party she was supposed to throw later that night. Jane obviously wasn't happy about it. There were much more important things she'd rather be doing.

"It won't be so bad." Maura said, tying to make her feel better. "I mean… What were you planning on doing tonight before you found out about this?"

"What was I planning on _doing_? Come on, Maura. Don't ask questions you already know the answers to." Jane warned with an underlying tone of playfulness.

"Say it." Maura challenged, her eyes narrowing with mischievous flirtation. "I want to hear you say it."

Jane was trying so hard not to smile. She scrunched her nose in frustration and smirked at Maura's naughty teasing. She looked around, lowered her voice and looked Maura right in the eyes. "You." she asserted and blood immediately rushed to her cheeks as she bit her bottom lip and grinned sheepishly.

Maura smiled triumphantly, having heard exactly what she had wanted to hear.

"Ugh! Look at you!" Jane cried agonizingly as she surveyed Maura's pride-filled face, "So smug…" When Maura's expression only became more pleased, Jane gave her a good-natured shove and they both broke into laughter.

"I can't help it!" Jane complained after the laughs subsided, "It's literally all I can think about. I am totally addicted."

"Addicted to me?" Maura asked, her smugness now transforming into legitimate inquisitiveness.

"Yes, to you." Jane answered enthusiastically. She lowered her voice, "And to fucking you."

Maura was infinitely flattered, and blushed uncontrollably. Seeing a few officers stroll past their table, she forced a change in the subject. "Anyway, the party will be fun. We'll make it fun, okay?" she insisted cheerily.

"Okay," Jane agreed, amazed at how submissive she could become in the presence of Maura.

* * *

Much later that night, Jane and Maura arrived together at the Dirty Robber straight from work. Jane hadn't put much energy into planning; all she did was call every female that knew Lydia and invite them out to the bar for drinks. Despite her lack of effort, Lydia was extremely grateful, much to Jane's surprise.

The first hour was totally uneventful, except for the mass consumption of delicious alcoholic beverages. The woman all engaged in normal conversations, and everybody seemed to be having a pretty good time.

Suddenly, Frankie, Tommy, Frost, Korsak, and several of Tommy's rowdy friends piled in through the door.

"What are you doing here, Baby?" Lydia asked shrilly as she greeted her husband-to-be with a kiss.

"This is where the rest of our bachelor party is!" an intoxicated Frankie answered for Tommy.

Everyone looked at Jane. "What?" she griped, "I didn't have time to plan anywhere else to-look, does anybody have a problem with both parities being here?"

People from both parties looked around and shrugged. The general consensus ended up being no.

Now, the Dirty Robber was packed with bachelorette party ladies, bachelor party men, and other random patrons. Now that there was a mix of gender, things began to turn into more of a party. The noise level increased significantly. She enjoyed a few drinks with Maura, trying not to think about what else she'd like to be doing; namely, she'd really like to be doing Maura. The sexual tension between the two of them was almost visible. More than once, Jane asked if they could just leave.

"At least not until your mother gets here," Maura advised, "You are still in the proverbial dog house."

After a few more drinks, Jane's phone rang. It was her mother. Everyone at the party was currently yelling "Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot!" as Lydia and her girlfriends were shooting tequila shots. Jane ran to the corner of the bar farthest away from the noise to answer her phone call. Her conversation took much longer than it should have. Her mother was obsessing over little things again, a specialty of hers. She had her back to the party, facing the booth in the far corner of the bar. While she was in the middle of the arduous conversation, Maura secretly stuck up behind her and waited for her to hang up.

As soon as Jane hung up the phone Maura approached her from behind. "Did you know there are 7,000 to 8,000 sensory nerve endings in the female clitoris?" she said softly as she slid her arms around Jane's torso from behind and discreetly fondled her below the waist.

Jane jumped with surprise at Maura's forwardness. She whipped around to face her, first looking around the room to make sure no one saw and then looking Maura in the eyes. "Are you drunk?" she asked.

"Nope," Maura replied. She smiled seductively, touching Jane gently on the waist. No one was even near to paying attention to them. Noticing this, Jane relaxed a bit and melted under Maura's soft caresses. She smiled and bit her lower lip.

"Just a warning: The science talk? Never gonna be sexy." Even as she said those words, her body was noticeably contradicting them.

Maura seemed to take that as a challenge, tilting her head smugly, and Jane knew she could never stop with the random, mildly inappropriate factoids, whether she wanted to or not. While Jane was internally cursing her palpable sex drive, Maura took her completely off-guard by kissing her fiercely while simultaneously pushing her into the booth they were standing next to. Once they were both on the cushioned seat, Maura broke the kiss and they both glanced around to see if anyone had spotted that tremendous lack of self-restraint.

"Maura!" breathed Jane, somewhere between terror and exhilaration.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered back, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Jane grinned with pleasure. _I couldn't help myself._ She looked around the bar and noticed almost everyone was congregated in a cluster of activity across the room.

"What the hell are they all doing?" she curiously asked.

Maura smiled and explained, "I succeeded in engaging everyone in a Tippy Cup Tournament."

Jane laughed while asking, "How do you know what that is?" Not only was it unbelievable that Maura knew a drinking game, but the fact that she had emphasized the word 'cup' also raised suspicion.

"Hey! I went to college." Maura defended. Receiving an incredulous sidelong look from Jane she relented, "Okay, fine. I researched it online. I thought it would be a fun addition to the party and an adequate distraction."

"Distraction from what?" Jane inquired with a furrowed brow, truly oblivious to Maura's scheming intentions.

Maura leaned in closer to Jane's ear, placing her hands tenderly on her waist and softy murmured, "Remember that addiction of yours we discussed earlier today?"

A chill coursed through Jane's body. That was the only hint she needed to figure out what was really going on. She looked from the crowd of people within eyesight, and then back to Maura. "Are you serious?" she asked, both staggered and extremely hopeful.

Maura licked her lips and tucked them in while nodding without a sound.

"Right here?" Jane asked, indicating the booth they were sharing. She was still in disbelief this was actually happening.

Maura nodded again, not daring to say anything. When Jane hesitated for a bit too long, she turned to her and told her in a barely audible whisper, "I'm not wearing underwear."

Jane breathed out in exaltation and slowly scooted her body closer to Maura's. They sat side-by-side on the booth cushion. Keeping her eye on the other patrons at the bar, she rested her hand on her own knee under the table. When she was sure no one was looking their way, she carefully moved her hand to the hem of Maura's dress on her knee and gently stroked the skin there. Maura continued to lick her lips in anticipation, her chest already heaving. Jane peered around the room one more time before inching her hand gradually up Maura's silky smooth inner thigh. She felt her fingertips graze the long, nasty scar that was left after Maura's kidnapping and torture. Feeling this brought her immense sadness, but an eager body shift from Maura indicated her desire for Jane's hand to keep traveling. Jane continued to run her hand up Maura's leg, increasing the pressure as she went, until it discovered the hot, wet end of its path. Maura nearly jumped out of her seat with pleasure at being touched there. She took a ragged breath in and focused all of her energy on concealing the effects the painstaking stimulation caused. She had to try especially hard not to utter a sound.

Of course, Maura's fun fact about nerve endings popped into Jane's head and, as she slid her finger slowly across Maura's clit, she imagined that she was touching every single one of those sensitive receptors of satisfaction. Maura's hips faintly bucked as she gasped with pleasure and Jane knew she was doing an excellent job of it. The more pleasure she brought to Maura, the harder she began to breathe herself. She concentrated on what she was doing with her fingers while simultaneously keeping a lookout for anyone who might catch them in the act.

The temptation to lean over and kiss Maura's receptive neckline while she was working was almost too powerful to overcome, but she managed to stay at a safe distance. Jane wasn't sure, but she thought that this was the wettest she had ever felt Maura become. She circled her most sensitive area with two fingers and as she gradually increased the pressure, Maura was forced to clutch the tabletop for support. She glanced up to make sure everyone else was still occupied. Any second, someone could walk over and interrupt, but the activity under Maura's dress was well concealed under the table. A single moan escaped from Maura's throat as she slowly reached her tipping point. The sound Maura made caused Jane to become extremely wet as well. In her newfound peal of desire, Jane pushed a little bit harder into Maura, still scouting for onlookers.

Maura's body jolted involuntarily. She quickly pressed a hand firmly over her mouth to prevent any noise from coming out as she finally made it over the edge and into an intense climax. Jane felt Maura's thighs tighten around her hand still caught between her legs. While trying her hardest not to writhe too excessively, Maura rode out one of her most powerful orgasms to date. Once she finally relaxed, she turned her reddened face to Jane and smiled gratifyingly, signs of ecstasy still present in her facial expression.

"Maura!" they heard a voice call from across the room. Jane skillfully extracted her hand from under Maura's dress just as her mother came into sight. "Maura? Oh there you are!" Angela said as she popped around the corner of the booth, "Can I borrow you for a little bit?"

Maura, unable to speak, nodded politely and pretended that she needed a drink of water. As she brought the glass of water to her lips, only Jane was able to notice that she was trembling.

Thankfully, Angela went on to clarify why they needed Maura's assistance instead of asking anything of her right away. "We had a bit of a Tippy Cup crisis," she explained. "One of Tommy's friends got a little bit too excited. There was glass, and a hand and now a lot of blood." She made a grossed-out face. "We just need you to take a look at it and help stop the bleeding. He says he's fine and just wants to keep playing, but I'm having the other's guard him until you get there. I'll go tell them you're coming to fix him up." She was slowly backing up, heading back to the disaster scene, but waiting for Maura's response. "We might have to take him to the E.R."

Maura had enough time to mostly compose herself by the time Angela had finished her story. She took one final deep breath to stabilize her lungs, licked her lips and "Sure thing, I can help." She imperceptibly glanced at Jane to make sure she was okay with her leaving.

"No, go. That actually sounds like an emergency." Jane encouraged her with a chuckle, trying hard to mask the fact that she was breathing heavily. Angela turned to totter back to the boys in question without taking another glance at the two women nearly panting in the booth. When she was out of earshot, Jane placed a calming hand on Maura's heaving stomach and added, "I'll be right here when you get back."

Maura nodded. She stood up, smiled euphorically, and stumbled off to follow Angela.

Jane, still recovering from their risky and inappropriate conduct, took a few moments to close her eyes and attempt to equalize her pounding heartbeat. After several minutes, she managed to calm herself to some extent. She felt her phone vibrate on her hip and opened her eyes.

She whipped out her phone to read the message she had just received.

**Maura: That was the single hottest thing I've ever experienced. You're beautiful fingers are magic. I am still recuperating… Also, it was remarkably difficult to resist kissing you before I departed. I'll see you when I get back from the hospital. P.S. I told you this party would be fun. **

Jane was overcome with a powerful feeling of blind devotion towards Maura, and her heart ached as she desperately wished she were back here next to her again.

**Jane: I didn't get nearly enough of you. I need more. Addictions are a very serious matter; you know that, Doctor. Hurry back.**

Sending and receiving texts with such provocative subject matter only filled her with more insatiable desire. She let her mind wander and shook her head absentmindedly at her myriad of thoughts. She couldn't believe that she had just pleasured Maura in a bar with dozens of people around, any of whom could have caught them at any time. That thought had made it unbearably exciting and hot. She also couldn't believe no one had noticed anything, considering the immense power of Maura's orgasm.

"Hi. Mind if I join you?" came a voice from beside her table that startled her back to reality. She glanced up to find Colin standing there with two bottles of beer in his hands. She almost didn't recognize him because instead of a dashing suit, he was wearing jeans and a Red Sox jersey.

She vigorously shook her head to concentrate on the present circumstances. "Oh, hi! Uh… no, knock yourself out." She gestured at the seat across from her at the booth.

"I brought you a beer," he said gallantly as he slid it across the table towards her.

"Thanks! Mine is," she tilted her bottle vertically into her mouth, emptying its contents, and thumped it back down onto the table. "Empty."

He laughed and took a sip of his own beer. "Mmm. That's good stuff." Jane smiled and nodded once in agreement, her emotions still in a frenzy from her most recent encounter with Maura. All she wanted to do was get her hands to stop shaking. "Anyway, I just really wanted to apologize for last night," he said sincerely, "I wasn't told that my visit was going to be a surprise for you…"

Jane was shocked by this unexpected act of contrition; so much so, she didn't even bother to hide it. After blinking a few times with her mouth agape, she managed to reply, "Oh… well, I'm the one that's supposed to be sorry. It wasn't your fault. I was the rude one who left without telling anyone where I was going."

Colin chuckled and murmured, "Well, that wasn't your fault either."

Jane grabbed her beer and took another swig. "So what you're saying is, neither of us should be sorry. And it was all my mother's fault."

"Basically." he casually replied, "Your mother is a very sweet person. I'm sure her heart was in the right place." Jane made a face. Colin laughed and added, "Either way, it was still very nice to meet you."

Jane smiled, but said nothing in return, taking another long sip of beer instead. She wasn't annoyed to be talking to him this time, since no one was forcing him upon her. She took the time to fully inspect him as he sat amiably across from her. Maybe it was her better mood, maybe it was the few beers she had drank, or maybe it was both, but now she noticed how truly attractive Colin was. His dark hair, eyebrows, and eye color complimented each other handsomely and his charismatic smile was accentuated by perfect white teeth. After a few moments of shrewdly looking him over, she commented on his Red Sox jersey. "Good choice on the loyalties there."

Colin looked down at his jersey and explained, "Yeah, I don't get out much. This is my going out attire. But I do bleed Red through thick and thin."

"Ain't no other way," Jane agreed with a tip of her drink.

"Yeah. Actually, my dad used to be one of the executives for the team. I got to hang out at Fenway for most of my childhood."

Jane deafeningly slammed down her beer bottle in amazement and stared wide-eyed at the man across from her, completely speechless.

Colin smiled and asked, "Should I even continue, or will that beer bottle at some point strike my head out of insane jealousy?"

"Continue!" Jane demanded, pounding a fist on the table, "But I can't promise anything about this beer bottle's intentions…"

Colin paused for a moment, pretending to weigh his odds of being injured by this woman sitting across from him. Apparently, the risk was worth resuming the conversation. "Well, he got this executive job—I never knew what he actually did there since I was too little—and any time my mom would let him take me, I was there. I was young enough to be a cute little buddy for the players to hang around with. This was around the time of Clemens and Hurst and Yastrzemski and

Buckner-"

"-Buckner," Jane said the last player at the same time as Colin. He paused, and admired Jane's unpredicted knowledge. She was still too in awe of his narrative to pay any attention to his approving stare. "Yeah?" she insisted impatiently, "What were those fellas like? I can't believe that!"

Jane's childlike excitement put a big grin on Colin's face. "Well, I was pretty young, so I don't remember everything as well as I would hope, but most of them treated me like a son. You know, toss the ball around during training season, giving me game-winning balls, that kind of stuff."

"You're. Kidding…" Jane muttered skeptically. Colin smiled contritely and slowly shook his head. He spent the next fifteen minutes or so recalling fascinating stories about the time he had spent with her favorite baseball stars and her favorite place in Boston.

"Now this sounds… just, weird and embarrassing, but hear me out," he declared, "It has always been this stupid dream of mine to—if I ever decide to get married—tie the knot over the mound at Fenway."

"That's not stupid," Jane reassured him. That scenario had always been her dream, too, but she kept that information to herself. She changed the subject slightly. "So, uh… this dad of yours… Does he still have some pull over there at Fenway"

"Well…He uh…died when I was about twelve," Colin told her hesitantly

"Oh, Colin, I'm sorry," Jane murmured compassionately, her hand shooting to cover her mouth.

"Nah, it wasn't you who hit him with a car," he said jokingly. He wasn't necessarily trying to be funny; he was just so used to his father being gone. Some people would have chastised him for using humor regarding such a tragedy, but most people don't know what it feels like to lose a parent. "Of course, I still miss him—what I can remember of him, anyway. But having those incredible memories of game days with my pop? I'm so lucky for that." He paused reminiscently, then suddenly changed the mood of their conversation. "I hate monopolizing the conversation. You seem like you know your home team. I bet you went to a fair share of games yourself. Why don't you tell me about your experiences?"

Jane scoffed at him and muttered, "Telling a Fenway story to you would be like… telling Obama what it's like to run for High School Class President."

"Did you run?" he asked fascinatingly.

"Oh yeah. I lost."

Colin laughed richly again.

Jane smiled and decided to humor the man. "Yeah, I remember going to a couple of games as a kid. Nowhere near as many as you, I bet. My pop would take me and my brothers. We fought over who got to sit closest to pop. We always sat in the nosebleeds. Ordered plenty of hotdogs." She smiled as the joyful memories warmed her heart. "I actually don't think I ever saw a losing game live."

"Impressive," he replied. "Ever go to a night game?"

Jane nodded. "Oh, yeah. Those are my favorites. There's such an amazing atmosphere."

"They are terrifically romantic, I think," Colin mentioned suggestively. He was being fairly bold and it made Jane realize with dismay that she may had been leading him on a bit. She had gotten lost in their pleasant discussion and it dawned on her that she had inadvertently been flirting with him. He was so easy to talk to; she didn't even know she was doing it. She didn't respond to his comment and he seemed to understand why.

Colin rubbed the back of his neck anxiously and confessed, "Jane, to be perfectly honest with you, I came here hoping to see you again. I haven't been able to get you out of my mind,"

"You mean, in the last twenty-four hours since you met me?" she asked, sounding a lot more sarcastic than she had planned. She immediately felt guilty, but Colin wasn't offended by her frankness in the least.

"Yep." he answered without a doubt. "Like those idiots you see in those terrible romantic comedies. I met you, can't stop thinking about you, and am making a fool out of myself for the benefit of a few laughs from the audience." he gestured with an outstretched hand to the empty air next to their booth causing Jane to chuckle. "All the makings of a great love story, as we are taught by thousands of crappy movies."

Jane chuckled nervously and gazed at him in disbelief before she voiced her opinion. "I hate to break it to you, but I don't think that actually happens in real life."

"Oh, I didn't think so either, a mere twenty-four hours ago," he remarked with mock seriousness, "But now? I do. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and though I hardly know you, I am already crazy about you. And yes," he added with, putting his hands up defensively, "I know I sound like an insane stalker-type guy. But really? It's just one of those… things. An unexplainable, head-in-the-clouds, crazy phenomenon." He was carrying on with such self-assurance; Jane had no idea

how to respond.

"I'm sorry, Colin. I really am," Jane began, unsure about her situation, yet completely confident in the fact that her heart fully belonged to Maura. "You're a really nice guy and-"

"And we have a lot in common." Colin interjected with a charming smile.

"And we do… we really do have a lot in common," Jane agreed honestly. "But-"

"_And_ I'm ruggedly dashing," Colin continued interrupting her, dramatically framing his face with his hands like a cliché male model.

Jane genuinely laughed. She was actually quite impressed with this man's confidence and fortitude. "I guess I can't deny that, but still… It's just not…" She struggled to find any words that would make sense right now, painfully aware of Colin's perceptive gaze, "I'm really not what you're looking for."

"Jane, you are a gorgeous, intelligent woman, who knows everything about the Red Sox… and carries a gun; _every_ man is looking for you."

Jane chuckled and looked down at the table bashfully. In the few times that she'd rejected a man, they had just rolled over and accepted it, but Colin was never discouraged; and oddly, it wasn't off-putting at all. In fact, it was somewhat refreshing. His persistence didn't seem creepy to her. He was just being a brave and humorous guy, and it probably would have worked on her in a different circumstance.

He kept up with his endeavor tirelessly. "Is it because of what your mom did? 'Cause we can just start over and pretend that whole thing never happened."

"No, no, it's not because of that." Jane assured him. She sighed. There was just something about Colin that made her want to be honest. "I'm sort of involved with someone else."

"Oh." Colin remarked with apparent surprise.

Jane continued, "I guess it's not-I don't know… 'official'. But," she wavered slightly, deliberating how much she wanted to reveal. She made up her mind and told him the truth, "I'm completely in love—head over heels-with this person."

"Well, that's not how it happens in the movies…" Colin muttered with a frown, showing his first subtle sign of submission. Even dejected, he was unbelievably positive.

Jane gazed empathetically at him, not knowing what else to say.

"No, that's great for you," he said kindly. "And you know, if it doesn't work out with him, you'll always have a back-up." He winked and raised his beer to his mouth to drink.

Jane couldn't hold back what she was thinking for long. "How can you be so… confident? I just turned you down…hard." She had never met anyone as charming yet respectful as Colin Murphy. He just might be the perfect man for her, perhaps if she had never met the medical examiner who had drastically changed her life. But that was far from the case and she knew her heart was already hopelessly devoted to Maura.

He chuckled and shrugged, simply saying, "I just really like you."

Jane tiled her head warmheartedly and murmured, "I really like you, too. I would love to be friends."

Colin gasped and clutched his heart in a theatrical production, crying, "Ouch! Friend-zoned."

Jane covered her face with her hands as her body shook with laughter.

He waited until she straightened back up before he spoke again. "What do you think my chances would be if I met you before this spectacular other guy?" he inquired optimistically.

Jane brushed her curly hair away from her face and behind her shoulders with one graceful motion before quietly responding, "I think your chances would have been pretty damn good, if we had met at a different time." She had answered completely sincerely.

Colin nodded and lowered the corners of his mouth to form an approving expression, suavely uttering, "Cool," He lifted his bottle into the air and presented it to Jane, toasting, "To friendship!"

Jane shook her head in amazement of this odd situation she had found herself in. She then lifted her bottle to clink it with his, murmuring, "To friendship." They both raised their drinks to their mouths and finished off what was left of their beers.

That's when the love of her life came strolling back to the corner booth.

Maura felt a flash of possessive jealously when she saw Colin sitting with Jane, but it only lasted for a split second and she never mentioned it to Jane. The unwelcome feeling was obliterated by the adoring look Jane gave her as she walked up and the irresistible way she murmured, "Hi," as she made room for her to sit. Maura scooted into the booth next to Jane as far as she could go without raising any suspicions. As soon as she was settled, Jane promptly grasped her hand under the table and interlaced their fingers dexterously. She squeezed it tightly, wordlessly letting Maura know how significantly she had missed her.

"Are you having a good time?" Maura directed at Colin, while firmly squeezing Jane's hand in return. She chanced one quick sidelong gaze at Jane while she waited for Colin to answer her question. When their eyes met, they each found yearning and adoration in the other's. She quickly looked away before she did something inappropriate.

"I am having a good time. Thank you, Dr. Isles." Colin replied.

Maura smiled at him sweetly. "You can call me Maura." Jane kept squeezing her hand relentlessly. She pulled it into her lap, clutching it increasingly harder and relishing any physical contact she could get her hands on while remaining discreet.

"I was just telling Jane about how much time I spent at Fenway Park when I was growing up. My dad worked there." Colin told Maura.

"How fascinating!" Maura exclaimed. Jane brought her other hand on top of Maura's, sandwiching her hand between both of her own. Maura's thumb barely grazed Jane between the legs, but it was enough to immediately need more. Jane indicated her desire to have sex with body language alone, and Maura picked up on it instantly.

"Uh would you ladies like another drink?" Colin asked, as looked from one woman to the other.

"Oh, no thank you Colin. I think we-oh excuse me-" she corrected herself, shaking her head, "I think _I _better be getting to bed. Long, long day…"

"And I'm her ride," Jane added quickly, pointing nonchalantly to the woman sitting next to her. She gave Maura's hand one last compression, which meant _"Okay, let's go now."_ As they both slid out of the booth, Jane turned to Colin and said, "Thank you so much for everything." She left it at that. Maybe she would have said something more, but her thoughts of Maura automatically eclipsed all other thoughts. Maura walked away and Jane was close behind.

"I hope to see you soon, Jane." he called after her, flashing one final smile.

She smiled back, waved goodbye, and followed Maura to say goodnight to the happy couple.

"Thank you so much for the party, Jane," Lydia beamed, wrapping her in a tight hug.

Jane broke the hug and said, "You got it. You're gonna be a Rizzoli as of tomorrow." Maura was so proud of Jane's valiant attempt to be civil.

"See you at the wedding tomorrow," Maura added, also accepting a hug from Lydia and Tommy. They didn't bother to say goodbye to anyone else.

As they walked out into the crisp Boston air and far enough away from the bar, Jane couldn't resist putting her arm around Maura's waist and pulling her close.

"Ugh." Jane sighed, "That was almost unbearable." She gazed fondly over at the beautiful woman next to her and added, "I love you so much, Maura."

"I love you, too Jane," Maura replied, placing her arm around Jane's waist as well. They walked in a tension-filled silence for a little bit, until Maura couldn't bear it any longer. She needed a distraction from her passionate arousal. She sighed, "I think we're doing fairly well at this 'hidden relationship' arrangement. Don't you think?"

"I'd say so. Nobody knows about us, so far." Jane agreed. She felt the same blatant tension between them and also needed the distraction.

"Well, unless you count Susie Chang." Maura reminded her with a grimace, "But she covered for us tremendously well."

"Oh… Right…" Jane muttered. Then added, "Oh well, after our lewd behavior tonight, I'm surprised _everyone_ didn't find out. Holy shit, was that hot!" She briefly paused and stroked her hand roughly against Maura's side, grabbing hold of the fabric of her dress and yanking it in a closed fist off her skin impulsively. "God, I can't wait to get you home and feed my unbearable addiction." Jane moaned with desire, pulling Maura tighter yet against her body as they continued to stroll.

"I have a feeling tonight is going to be incredible." Maura mused with a shaky breath, already becoming excruciatingly wound up. Her breaths began to get shallower. She turned to make eye contact with Jane and licked her lips with intense desire

Jane pulled them faster toward the car, breathlessly murmuring, "Okay, we _really_ need to get home… I really need to fuck you."

Maura was driven crazy with lust at those words. Maura's hand slid down Jane's back and onto her ass and inched it even lower still. "Yes, please," she moaned desperately.

But they didn't make it home. In fact, they were fortunate they even made it to the backseat of Jane's cruiser.


	24. Chapter 24

Back at the Dirty Robber, the combined bachelorette and bachelor party continued with drinks and merriment. The men started to get fairly rowdy, Tommy's friend's injury never putting a damper on the entertainment. One of the guests broke out a deck of cards and another round of drinking games began just after Colin was left alone at the corner booth. His eyes remained on Jane the whole time on her way out. He had watched her walk away, say goodbye to the guests of honor, and rush out close behind her friend Maura. After talking and laughing with Jane for so long, Colin was sure that he wanted her. Not only was she the most beautiful woman he had met, she was also clever and funny. _And she loves the Red Sox for God's sake. _Once she was finally out the door, he got up and made his way to the bar for another drink, a smile still lingering on his face. He felt he deserved something a little stronger than beer after his lengthy conversation with the most intriguing woman he had ever met, so he ordered a scotch and settled at a table near the bar.

Lydia and Angela were huddled in a corner together, staying clear of the men and their obligatory pissing contests. Angela was in the middle of drunkenly gushing to her soon to be daughter-in-law about how happy she was to be seeing one of her children get married. "I know your relationship with this family didn't get off to the greatest start," she began a bit darkly, "but I just need you to know that I am so glad to be adding you to our family. I think you make my son very happy. And I am happy to be gaining another daughter."

Lydia broke into a wide smile and accepted a semi-aggressive hug from Angela. If Jane had been there, she would have definitely muttered, '_vomit!'_ under her breath at the sight of this conversation taking place. "Thank you so much, Angela," Lydia said as she was tearing up. She pulled away from her and wiped one of her eyes with the back of her hand. "That really means so much to me. Your family… you are all just such amazing people. I'm blessed to be a part of it. Especially after… well you know…" Lydia was getting smarter; she showed enough tact not to mention Frank Sr.

Angela frowned slightly and simply responded, "I think this marriage will work a lot better if we never mention that again." Lydia enthusiastically agreed. Angela looked over at Tommy across the bar, who noticed them and began to make his way over to them. Angela smiled and gushed, "My baby is getting married!" She took a second to drink from the cocktail in front of her. "And did you see Jane and Colin over there?" Angela asked excitedly, gesturing with her thumb to the corner booth. "She is having such a good time with him. I am keeping my distance so they can have their privacy. I knew she would love him if she just gave him a chance, I just knew it!"

"Oh, yeah, I've never seen Jane, like, enjoy herself that much before," Lydia agreed with a smile as Tommy sat down next to her. Then, she squinted her eyes, tilted her head in confusion and added, "But… Jane actually left a little bit ago."

Angela's face fell abruptly. "Oh… She did?" she remarked with surprise as she craned her neck to see for herself.

Tommy's friend Sam, who had been the one who Maura took to the hospital earlier, interrupted from across the bar. "Yo, Mrs. Rizzoli," he called, cupping his mouth with both hands, which were covered in bandages. Once he made his way over to her, he cut right to the chase. "Okay, so, Maura… To put it bluntly, she is the hottest doctor I've ever seen. What's her deal, is she single?"

Angela forgot about her preoccupation with her daughter for a moment and replied, "Yes, I believe she is single. Did you hit it off on your trip to the hospital?" She chuckled lightly as she said those last few words.

"Great!" Sam cheered and then began to scan the bar. "And yes, I think she liked what she saw. I didn't even cry when I got the stitches," he winked. "Now where did she get to? I am definitely asking her out."

Angela smiled at his determination and turned in her seat to help him look, "I'm pretty sure I saw her-"

"Actually, she left, too…" Lydia interrupted, still seeming to wonder why she was the only one who knew that they were gone.

"Oh," Angela murmured dejectedly. She was a little hurt that neither of them had told her they were going, especially when this was Jane's party to plan.

Sam was disappointed, too, but only briefly. "Damn! I knew I shoulda just asked her out right away…" he cried, then shrugged and trotted off to drink with his buddies again.

Meanwhile, Frankie slid into an empty seat at the table that Colin was occupying. There were two women already with him, shamelessly flirting and pouring their attention onto him. Frankie didn't recognize either of them, but he couldn't deny that they were very attractive women. As the men made eye contact, Frankie raised his eyebrows in approval and Colin hastily introduced him to his bubbly new friends, if only to get some of the focus off of himself.

"This is Melanie, and I'm Rebecca." the one ogling Colin the most piped in. She briefly took her eyes off Colin's face to introduce herself.

The girl sitting closest to Frankie, Melanie, was very interested to learn that he was a cop. She scooted closer to him and began to flirt with him, which was relieving to Colin. Frankie smirked and noted for future reference that Colin was a decent buddy to have around if he wanted to get a date.

"You're so handsome, Frankie," the woman crooned as she laid a hand on his arm. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Frankie lowered his head bashfully, as he normally did when addressed by a beautiful woman, and replied, "No. No girlfriend."

"We should definitely go on a double date," Rebecca crooned as she stroked Colin's arm. Colin took a long sip of his drink and glanced out the window as Melanie wholeheartedly agreed to her friend's idea.

Before anyone could say anything else, a group of women walked by their table and addressed the two women flirting with Colin and Frankie. "Come on, you guys. We're leaving!" one of them called out. Their new friends reluctantly got up to leave, but made sure to leave their numbers before shuffling off after their friends.

"Does that happen often when you're out?" Frankie asked Colin with a hint of jealousy as he watched the women stroll away.

"Hm?" Colin inquired, then understood his question and chuckled, "No. Not all the time," but he was surely being modest.

Frankie knew he wasn't being entirely truthful, but he let it pass for the sake of his own self-esteem. He noted the severe lack of interest that he had shown for the gorgeous ladies that were just throwing themselves at him and wondered if it had anything to do with his semi-date with his sister. "So?" he prodded with curiosity, "How'd it go with Jane? I noticed that she didn't look like she wanted to kill anyone this time. She even looked a little happy to be talking to you."

Colin laughed and agreed, "Yes… She was in a lot better mood tonight compared to last night. I don't blame her for being upset last night though… I never realized that Angela had saved my appearance as a surprise."

"That's Ma," Frankie muttered with a knowing nod. "She's always been overbearing in our personal lives. She's very controlling and thinks she is helping when she is just being crazy and embarrassing." Then, with a scowl, he added, "She's asked girls out for me more than once in my life…"

"Yikes," Colin remarked, "and I thought my mother was bad… I feel for you guys."

Frankie glanced over at Tommy and Lydia, who were still talking with Angela. "I think she might be done meddling in Tommy's love life… for now. As for me and Jane, we have to deal with her 'helping' more than ever. I am pretty used to it, but Jane has a big problem with it, if you couldn't already tell from her behavior."

Colin nodded and couldn't help smiling at the mention of Jane's name, which Frankie noticed. "Eh? Eh? Did I notice some sparks between you two?" he teased.

Colin took a deep breath and murmured, "She's absolutely amazing. She's the most perfect woman I have ever met."

Frankie grimaced. "Eh, she's alright," he grudgingly offered in regards to his sister. Taking a closer look at his new friend's face, he added, "Man, you really got it bad for her, don't you?"

Colin chuckled and continued, "We had a great conversation, and I'm sure she was flirting with me. But she turned me down in the end and then left." He shrugged and took another sip from his glass of scotch. "Somebody beat me to her, I guess."

"Beat you to her?" Frankie asked with a confused look.

"Yeah. She said that she is involved with someone and she is in love with him. But, that stuff happens. What can ya do? Now I'll just back off and let her be happy."

Frankie pulled a face of disbelief and scoffed, "Dude. Not to totally burst your bubble, but I'm pretty sure she made that up. She's not dating anyone; she hasn't for months. I know her. And all she ever does is work and hang out with Dr. Isles."

"They are inseparable," Frost piped in as he joined them at the table with a tray full of drinks. "I'm assuming you're talking about Jane?" He glanced over at Colin and added, "I don't think we've officially met. Barry Frost. I'm Jane's partner."

"Pleasure," Colin greeted him, "Colin Murphy. Unsuspecting victim of an unsuccessful Angela Rizzoli blind-date setup."

Frost winced in sympathetic pain. "Oh man. I am sorry." He began to disperse the drinks between the three of them. "Here. On me, buddy."

Colin just shrugged and gratefully accepted another glass of scotch.

"Anyway," Frankie continued, turning back to Colin, "Jane is definitely single. I've never fully understood my sister, but I know that she puts up a lot of walls. I think you still have a chance. But I'm only talking to you about my sister's love life 'cause I think you're pretty cool. And I haven't seen Jane happy with anyone for a while."

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Frost agreed, "She is one rare find, that's for sure. Someone's gotta tie that down eventually…"

Frankie was really starting to feel the last drink he had had. His cheeks were flushed and his vision beginning to blur. He had one last bit of advice to give to Colin before the conversation was over. "I just don't think you should give up that easily. She only left a little bit ago, why don't you see if you can still catch her awake." Colin looked very unsure, so Frankie quickly added, "And I don't mean anything gross, I just mean you can continue your conversation in a more private place." He scribbled Jane's address onto the driest cocktail napkin on their table and slid it towards him.

"She's much easier to talk to one-on-one," Frost agreed.

Colin was still hesitant, but he took the napkin from him anyway.

"I would definitely go now though," Frankie muttered quietly, "My Ma is heading this way and she's probably going to ask you a million questions."

Colin still hadn't made a decision yet, but he looked up to see Angela bustling through the crowd and knew he did not have the patience for a motherly grilling. He thanked Frankie and Frost and threw a wad of cash onto the table before stealthily slipping out of the bar.

When the cool Boston air entered his lungs, he suddenly felt the effects of alcohol swimming through his mind. He looked down at the crumpled napkin in his hands and considered Frankie's advice. He imagined what would happen if he went to Jane's to surprise her. He already knew she hated surprises, but he felt like after their great conversation, she wouldn't be terribly upset. He smiled again as the image of her lively, dark brown eyes popped into his head. The sound of her rich voice replayed in his ears, and he was suddenly dying to hear it again.

_Do I really watch too many of those damn movies? _Colin laughed to himself as he paced the sidewalk and pictured things going well if he decided to go. Maybe he did watch too many romantic comedies, or maybe it was the alcohol, but he ultimately chose to take his chances, be bold, and with a deep breath, hailed a cab.

Several blocks away, in the backseat of a steamy-windowed police cruiser, Jane's face was buried deep in the nape of Maura's neck as both women writhed and moaned through their final fit of passion. They had both climaxed so powerfully that their zealous vocalizations of pleasure persisted long after they were finished.

"Oh, Jane!" Maura yelled with a hoarse voice.

After minutes of gasping and roughly clutching each other, they finally began to come down off of their intense peak of ecstasy. Jane was the first to regain the ability to speak. "How the fuck is it possible…" she coarsely panted against Maura's neck. She forced herself onto her elbows to look down at Maura, "that it gets better each time we do it?" She clumsily kissed Maura's fully exposed neck with hot, wet lips, still panting wildly.

Maura, her head still tilted back and gasping for air, managed to breathe, "I don't know…" She panted uncontrollably for a few more seconds, her chest rising and falling sharply. "Perhaps it is a testament to the age-old proverb 'practice makes perfect'…?" She willed herself to lift up her head far enough to see the woman still sprawled out on top of her. She could feel every inch of Jane's body pressed against her own, their skin sticking together with sweat.

Jane shook her head and swallowed with difficulty between shallow gulps of air. "Our first time _was_ perfect. How the hell does it get better than perfect?" she groaned breathlessly.

With no rational answer, Maura simply smiled reverently at Jane as she reached up to gently push her damp curls away from her face. As she did this, Jane bent her neck to kiss her palms and wrists, causing her unruly locks of hair to tumble back into her eyes. Maura continued to sweep the hair away, wanting to maintain an unobstructed view of Jane's face. Moisture visibly glistened on their skin in the dim moonlight that streaked though the solidly steamed windows. They were both trembling from the combination of the physical exertion of their lovemaking and the intense torrent of emotions coursing through their bodies.

Maura's breathing and heart rate had almost returned to normal. She lightly laughed as she pressed her hand to her forehead and murmured, "I can't believe we had sex in your police cruiser." The car, although fairly spacious, seemed tiny now that it was filled with dense, humid air.

"Three times!" Jane added with satisfaction. She slid her hands down Maura's ribcage, lustfully dug her fingernails into her waist and said through gritted teeth, "And I could do it three more times; you are so irresistible," Her smile transformed into a troubled frown and she muttered, "I was kidding about that whole addiction thing, but now I'm starting to worry it's really true."

Maura pursed her lips as she considered that statement, then she smirked and said, "Well, don't go enrolling in any 12-Step Programs quite yet, alright? This is a very new experience for both of us… and if you haven't noticed, you aren't the only one who is constantly fixated on sexual scenarios; I'm the one who made you perform digital penetration in a crowded bar."

Jane internally winced at Maura's medical wording, but only grinned and muttered, "Point taken. If we do end up needing to seek help, we'll definitely have to do it together." She switched into a fake solemn voice and uttered, 'Uh, hi, my name is Jane and I'm a sexoholic.'"

Maura giggled.

Jane smiled before becoming serious again and muttering, "I just…I can't stop! Just being near you drives me crazy and I just have to have you." She paused, straining to think of a comprehensible way to explain herself while Maura smiled appreciatively and even a bit conceitedly. The best analogy she could think of popped into Jane's head. She began to idly play with Maura's hair as she spoke. "So, we had this cat growing up named Tiger." Maura cocked her head with confusion, but remained smiling. She was curious to see where this was going. Without noticing the change of Maura's expression, Jane continued, "One day, he got out into the alley and got into this vicious catfight. Ma ran out and broke it up and took Tiger back inside. Ever since that day, whenever Tiger saw another cat out the window, he would lose his mind and go rampaging through the house in a frenzy until he sank his teeth into something. Unfortunately, it always ended up being one of us kids, but it was like his instincts literally took over his body and stripped away any trace of rational thought. But as soon as he found someone to bite, he would go back into regular kitty mode… _That's_ what I feel like. When I'm near you, I lose control of my rational self and my uncontrollable carnal instincts kick in and I'm not myself again until I've… well, you know."

Maura nodded her head in understanding at Jane's analogy and surprised Jane by replying with something other than a random scientific fact about cats. "Should I start calling you Tiger?" she murmured seductively as she slid her arms tightly around Jane's slender waist.

Jane chuckled. "No. Definitely not." Maura laughed, too and Jane was starting to feel that powerful urge kick in again. "Is this normal, though? Is it normal to-I mean, I've _never…_ with any of my previous, um…" Jane was too bashful to finish her thought, but Maura understood what she was trying to say.

"Females have little to no refractory period in the human sexual response cycle, whereas men have one that lasts an average of thirty minutes post-orgasm. Therefore, in theory—and as we have proven over the last few days—sex between two women can become somewhat of a perpetual experience."

"No shit." Jane grumbled with a reluctant grin. The nerves in her skin were vibrating at the feeling of Maura's heated body underneath her. Her heart felt as though a puppeteer was yanking it by invisible strings. She looked down at Maura's beautiful hazel eyes and pink lips and she couldn't hold off any longer.

"I love the taste of your soft lips," she breathed as she faintly brushed her mouth over them. She buried her face in Maura's neck and continued, "I love your sweet, intoxicating scent." She gradually traced her fingertips down the front of her body and followed them with her eyes. "I love your warm, silky skin." Maura shuttered and swallowed anxiously. "I _love_," Jane's hand slid lower still, "the sound you make when I touch you here," Maura exhaled with a whimper as she felt Jane's fingers graze the moist space between her legs, involuntarily demonstrating the sound Jane had been referring to. When she heard it, Jane smiled in triumph and skimmed her lips across the skin on Maura's stomach. She realized that as she was speaking, they were indeed gearing up for yet another round of sex. "Holy shit. I'm sorry, I just can't stop," she repeated with a tiny hint of frustration, but didn't stop what she was doing with her hands or her mouth.

"Oh my God," Maura moaned with pleasure at the new wave of intimate sensations. "No apologies necessary."

Jane exhaled sharply before resigning to the unstoppable force of attraction that took over her body yet again. She felt Maura's body go tense with anticipation as she gently kissed her below the belly button and then she felt hands on the back of her head, urging her to continue. She slid her hands smoothly up Maura's sides as she moved her open mouth slowly down her body and breathed on her skin with exultation. Once Jane's intentions became apparent, Maura quickly swung her left leg over Jane's shoulder and tightened her grip on her hair. In her haste, Jane hoisted Maura's right leg over her other shoulder and ran her hands up Maura's thighs hungrily. She raised her head to look at Maura who merely swallowed and nodded her head, her eyes flashing. With a crooked smile Jane buried her face between Maura's legs.

Maura loudly gasped as Jane's mouth covered her clit and she immediately noticed the vast difference between finger and tongue. Of all the times Jane had pleasured Maura, she had only gone down on her once, and that had been a fairly quick job. Now Jane took her time. She explored Maura thoroughly, reveling in the reactions she was able to cause in Maura's body movement. A few quick circles around her most sensitive area and the woman beneath her bucked her hips abruptly. She tested what kind of techniques caused that irresistible moan to escape from Maura's lips.

Jane was grateful that she had such a vocal lover; not only was it incredibly hot, it also gave her great indications on how she was doing. She increased the pressure with her tongue, which was returned with a strident whimper and another sudden shift of the hips. Jane enjoyed playing with Maura, discovering different ways to treat her to a phenomenal experience. Though she was much too busy for any other thoughts, one did keep popping into her head: _I can't believe how weird it is that this isn't weird. Not only is this not weird, I actually love it. _She was absolutely amazed at how naturally this totally new experience came to her.

A strangled cry from Maura yanked Jane back to the task at hand. She listened to the rapid breaths coming from Maura's mouth, occasionally punctuated by low moans, and changed up her technique again. She kissed and sucked at Maura's most sensitive area and felt Maura's body jolt again and her hands clench tighter in her hair.

Jane brought her tongue back into the mix and was especially delighted with Maura's reaction. "Yes. Yes." the woman underneath her quickly breathed. Jane pushed her tongue harder into Maura and quickened her pace while moving her hands from Maura's hips to her hands, which were still entangled in her dark locks. She took both of Maura's hands into her own and interlaced their fingers. Maura squeezed hard and threw her head back as her small moans transformed into shouts. "Yes! Yes! Oh, Yes!" she moaned between shallow breaths.

Hearing her lover's begging cries, Jane became extremely eager and significantly increased her efforts. As she did so, Maura dug her heels into Jane's back, pressed her fingernails into the back of her hands and Jane was immediately thankful that she had removed Maura's hands from her hair. With one final scream Maura reached her climax and fell deep into spasms of sexual satisfaction.

Exhausted but beaming with pride, Jane rested her chin on Maura's heaving stomach, allowing Maura to continue to grip her hands as she continued moaning with gratification.

After what seemed like minutes, Maura was finally able to lift her head off the seat and make eye contact with the woman who had just rocked her world yet again. Though she was still breathing too vigorously to speak, her eyes conveyed boundless satisfaction and adoration. Jane grinned at the obvious success of her efforts. She freed one of her hands from Maura's grasp to stroke her stomach and murmured, "You alright?" Maura simply nodded her head and pulled Jane's hand to her mouth to kiss repeatedly. Jane wiggled out from the legs still draped over her shoulders and bent her head to pepper more kisses across Maura's abdomen, giving her a bit more time to recover.

After a little while longer, Maura softly murmured, "That was amazing…" She wondered how Jane was so talented at pleasuring her and how she seemed to get better at it every time. As she watched the unmistakable look of smugness flash across Jane's face, she realized that her muscles were a bit sore, as well as her throat. She took a deep breath and laid her head back down on the car seat, and couldn't help a laugh escaping as she thought about the situation they were in.

Jane chuckled as well and laid her head back down on Maura's stomach. A deep growling sound emitted from her makeshift pillow. Her head snapped up in surprise and she looked up at Maura. "You're hungry, my dear," she informed her, "Let's find you something to eat." She began to push herself upright to search for her clothes.

"No," Maura said, pulling Jane back down towards her. "Not until you kiss me first." Jane happily obliged. She let Maura sweep her long hair out of the way and gazed into her eyes briefly before bending down to press their lips together. Maura took a deep breath through her nose and let out a tiny hum before her stomach growled audibly again. Though she hated the idea of breaking their contact, she couldn't deny that she needed sustenance and finally agreed to get dressed to go somewhere.

"What do you feel like eating?" Jane asked her as she deftly slipped into her pants.

Maura thought about it for a moment and finished hooking her bra before finally admitting, "I am actually craving a greasy cheeseburger." She pulled her dress over her head and brushed her tangled hair with her fingertips.

Jane laughed at Maura's uncharacteristic choice of food. "Well, that can definitely be arranged." She zipped up her pants with difficulty in the cramped backseat. "You know, I think I have an idea…" She paused to button the front of her shirt and then grinned and added, "Yes. Yes, I have the perfect idea." Without any explanation, she planted a kiss on Maura's cheek and flipped herself over the front seat so that she was sitting in the driver's seat. She started the engine and pulled away from the curb before Maura had a chance to zip up her dress or fasten her seatbelt.

As she drove, Jane picked up her cell phone to check the time and saw a new message. "Text from my brother," she announced before reading what it said.

**Frankie: Hey Sis, why did you leave the prty so earlry? my new best buddy, Colin is freakimg awsome. We a ll saw you two flirtin. Not t sound like Ma but…. He woud make a greay brother in law. hope you two can get togther again soon. ;)**

"What did it say?" Maura wondered with concern after noticing the dark look that had passed over Jane's face.

Jane hesitated. She wasn't sure if she wanted to burden Maura with her problems she was having with her family. However, Maura's caring gaze ultimately won out over her indecision. She sighed heavily before explaining. "My whole family has apparently decided who I should be with. Last time I checked, Rizzoli's weren't a royal family from India," Jane griped as she passed her phone back to Maura to read.

After reading Frankie's message, that spark of insecure jealousy briefly returned to the pit of Maura's stomach. Just as she had done when the same feeling struck in the bar, she hid it from Jane and didn't tell her exactly what was on her mind. She wordlessly handed the phone back to Jane and was thankful that her eyes were on the road so she couldn't see her disappointment.

"My family's a piece of work, huh?" Jane mused, shaking her head. She didn't wait for Maura's response. "They seriously drive me crazy…"

_Colin was flirting with Jane._ Her stomach lurched._ Jane was flirting with Colin. What if I am just some phase? What if he really is perfect for her? What if, after all of this, I have to lose her… to him?_

Maura was suddenly not hungry anymore. Tears of frustration formed in her eyes. She silently cursed her uncontrollable emotions and tried to talk herself out of her nervousness.

_Don't be stupid! How can I possibly doubt her after she made love to me like that? I know… I _know_ that she loves me. _Maura angrily chastised herself. Her unwarranted insecurity was starting to frighten her. She couldn't figure out why she was feeling so threatened by this perfect man that everyone was pushing Jane towards.

Hearing nothing more from Maura, a happy-go lucky Jane had begun to hum aimlessly as she focused on driving. She had already dismissed her brother's text and was now mentally preparing her plans for their midnight snack.

"Jane?" Maura asked timidly, unable to keep her thoughts bottled up any longer.

"Hm?" came the answer from the front seat.

Maura hesitated, but eventually willed herself to ask the question that she was so afraid to. "What… are we?" This territorial side surprised her and she was also saddened by the fact that she didn't seem to trust Jane not to hurt her. In that moment, she felt that defining their relationship would instill a certain solidity to ease her insecurities.

Jane sensed her distress, but was unable to pinpoint the cause of it. She turned her head towards Maura and back to the road a few times while she considered her answer to that somewhat unexpected question. "We-We're… best friends." she started falteringly. Maura's heart sank slightly, not sure what answer she had wanted to hear. "We're lovers…" Jane continued with a childish smirk. Maura lowered her eyes and smiled too. "I think… we're soul mates." she finished. Then, she slapped her forehead and grumbled, "Damn, that didn't sound as cheesy in my head. Was that cheesy?"

Maura laughed and simply murmured, "Tremendously," but her heart surged with emotion as her eyes welled up with tears of relief and the unnecessary anxiety that had plagued her began to melt away. She wrapped her arms around Jane's neck from behind and kissed her neck lovingly. She wondered why her cheeks hurt and realized it was because she was beaming uncontrollably.

They parked the car just outside a rundown building that Maura would never had guessed was a place to get food. On the way inside, they passed about a dozen parked motorcycles and one homeless man passed out against the building. Maura glanced at Jane, wondering if she was sure they had come to the right place. Jane strolled through the front door with certainty, not even looking back to see if Maura was following her.

Once inside, Maura glanced around the dingy pub apprehensively and inched closer to Jane. "I don't make it a habit to enter establishments with such… squalid atmospheres," she muttered under her breath, trying to sound polite.

"Best burgers in town." Jane assured her in a confident tone as she led them to the back counter. She glanced at Maura with a playful smile and added, "But don't worry. We aren't staying here long."

Maura sensed that Jane had a plan up her sleeve and used all of her self-restraint not to probe any farther. She focused her energy on not touching anything in the dirty bar and trying to ignore the group of men eying them up from a dark corner as Jane talked to the man behind the counter. She was relieved when Jane suddenly turned to leave with a brown paper bag.

Once they got back into the car, Maura bit her toungue to keep from asking where they were going.

"Your job is to keep the food warm, 'kay?" Jane informed her, keeping up her mysterious demeanor and placing the food on her lap.

Maura rolled the top of the paper bag tightly and clutched it with both hands. "Got it."

After a few minutes of driving, Jane stopped the car in an abandoned parking lot. Maura looked out the window to check where they were, but she could only see darkness interrupted only by the twinkling lights of the city. By the time she figured out where they were, Jane had already hopped out of the car and opened Maura's door.

"Are we… at the river?" Maura asked in complete confusion.

"Yep!" Jane replied cheerily as she offered a hand to help her out of the car. Maura cocked her head, but took Jane's hand and stepped out of the car into a cool breeze.

They began walking toward the water, which was beautifully shimmering with the reflections of the city lights and the moonlight. Maura's heart leapt in her chest when Jane reached down to hold her hand.

Almost to the water's edge, Jane stopped and pointed at a hidden bench overlooking the gorgeous shoreline. "There's where we're eating." She pulled the other woman the rest of the way and sat her down. Before sitting herself, she took the blazer she had draped over her arm and flung it around Maura's shoulders.

Jane's chivalry caused a flurry of butterflies to stir in Maura's gut. As the other woman scooted up next to her she blushed and looked out over the river. "You know, the Charles River is home to over two dozen different species of fish." Maura blurted, knowing that she would only get a sarcastic comment in return. She looked purposefully out over the water and waited for Jane's snarky reply.

"I love you."

Surprised, Maura turned to face Jane, who glanced at her with a charming half-smile. She placed a warm burger in her lap and began to eat her own before she returned to her normal, sarcastic self. "What are you, a fishologist now?" Jane teased.

"That would be an ichthyologist, actually." Maura corrected through a light laugh while unwrapping her dinner.

"Oh, of course. That's what I meant."

They ate their juicy burgers in silence, mostly because they were unbelievably tasty. After a few minutes of eating and enjoying the view, they were both pleasantly full and able to talk again. Jane glanced around before putting her arm around Maura, who rested her head on Jane's shoulder.

Maura bit her lip anxiously and confessed, "I have been in love with you for much longer than I realized."

Jane's heart was filled with warmth and she brought her other hand to Maura's lap. She felt a hand joining her own and their fingers interlocked again.

"I didn't know it. I didn't know," Maura murmured, "what the feelings I had toward you meant. I can't believe it took me so long to figure it out." Jane listened patiently while flexing her fingers between Maura's. "All those times you've comforted me. All those times you've protected me…" She lifted her head off of Jane's shoulder to look into her eyes. "For five years, you've been the most important person in my life. You've been my family. You've been… my home. And I fell in love with you. But I was too blind to see it. I know now that I fell in love with you _years _ago." Maura paused and lowered her head. "I just don't know how I didn't…"

"I guess that doesn't really matter now." Jane told her sweetly, "All that matters is we both know how we feel and we both feel the same way."

Maura smiled in agreement as Jane leaned in to press their lips together.

"Detective Rizzoli!" Maura cried, pretending to be scandalized. "You just kissed me in public."

Jane looked alarmed and turned to look around behind them. Of course, the area around their secluded bench was deserted at that time of night. Honestly, she was still so afraid to go public with her new relationship, but Maura was so beautiful that she had forgotten they were in public at all. She made a mental note to be more careful so that their secret wasn't exposed before she was ready for it to be.

Maura told Jane many stories about their past, fixating on her ignorance to her now obvious attraction to her. They talked effortlessly for hours about their relationship and laughed about different recollections fondly. They recalled memories of their friendship and Maura continuously updated Jane on the little things that made her fall in love so long ago. They talked about their feelings. They talked about the sex.

Every once in a while, their conversation would have to be put on pause when Jane's impulses forced her to kiss Maura's lips or neck, or run her hands over her body hungrily. Maura happily obliged Jane's carnal needs. She was flattered that she was so irresistible to her, but she had the same urges that Jane was experiencing; she was just much better at hiding it. The time flew by and as their conversation began to wind down, they saw light coming up over the horizon.

"Wow," Maura marveled at the pink and yellow sunrise, "it's beautiful."

Jane watched Maura instead of the sky. She was unimaginably happy to be sitting here next to her. She was glad that they had talked so much about their relationship. She felt that it would probably help her gain enough courage to take the next step and reveal their secret to the world. To her family. To her mother. "So beautiful…" she finally replied to Maura's statement. After a few seconds of admiring her sunlit face, she glanced at her watch and sighed. She didn't want this wonderful night to end, but unfortunately they had a big day ahead. "Well," she reluctantly muttered, "ready to go to a wedding today?"


End file.
